Chapter 61. Initiating the Plan (1)

"So, what's the fourth's condition?"

"It is extremely critical. His dantian has been shattered, and the toxins in his body have exploded, causing severe poisoning symptoms. He is barely holding on by his physical strength... Even with good luck, he can barely avoid being paralyzed."

"I see."

"Yes."

"At least he managed to save his life."

"That's right."

Lee Cheon-sang swirled the cup. The little remaining wine gently swirled in the cup.

"Is there any possibility of recovery?"

"The doctors of the Blood Soul Pavilion believe it is almost nonexistent. Even if he recovers by some miracle, he will likely become a madman or a cripple. And even if the poisoning and internal injuries are treated, his dantian is severely damaged, making it difficult to return to his original state."

Mudam bowed his head.

"Immediate recovery seems impossible."

The problem wasn't just immediate recovery. At this point, it could be said that his life as a martial artist was over.

Lee Cheon-sang, looking down at the cup, nodded.

"Dismissed."

"Yes, Sect Leader."

After Mudam left, Lee Cheon-sang finished the wine in the cup and leaned back in the chair.

'No possibility of recovery?'

He had a student who fell into a critical condition before. At that time, the doctors of the Blood Soul Pavilion gave a similar diagnosis to what they gave the fourth now.

The possibility of recovery was almost nonexistent, and even if he did recover by some miracle, he would become a madman or a cripple.

And the third, who had brought the fourth to this state, was the one who did it.

'Interesting.'

A hint of interest flickered across Lee Cheon-sang's face.

'I thought he would finish it off in one go, but instead, he left him alive.'

Before he was possessed by the demon, the third had such a personality, and even after the change, he thought it would be the same.

On the surface, he seemed quite carefree, but the third's soul was dominated by the word 'death.' It meant that once he decided to kill, he would do so without hesitation.

This could be seen from the case details sent by the Law Enforcement Hall. If the Black Crow Vice Leader and the Law Enforcement Hall Leader hadn't intervened, the fourth would have been killed.

In that brief moment, why did the third change his mind?

'Did he want to cause pain?'

He understood. Since the fourth had brought the third to such a state, the third would have wanted to take revenge in the same way.

But.

'If it was just about making him the same... '

Lee Cheon-sang shook his head.

Disappointment? No, the third was no longer a martial artist capable of disappointing anyone.

'The private meeting with the Joyful Garden Master, the battle with the Mad Demon Leader, and the brawl at the Law Enforcement Hall.'

Truly, a series of events that were spectacular. In just a few days, he had caused several incidents that most people wouldn't even dream of.

A chaotic mess that couldn't be easily created even if one tried. The important thing was that while causing such chaos, he had clearly achieved his goal.

"Interesting."

Squish.

From a distance, the wine from the bottle drew a parabola and filled his cup.

Lee Cheon-sang lifted the cup again.

"Thus, one pillar in the succession struggle collapses."

Hong Weimin.

The current Red Serpent Sect Leader's son, who possessed talents that were no less than anyone else's.

When did it start? His intelligence turned into cunning, and his bright personality became a mask.

The fourth, who inherited the true blood of the Red Serpent Sect, had become as venomous and cunning as a snake.

Still, it was fine. As long as he could blossom with his talents, his personality didn't matter.

The problem was that Hong Weimin didn't cultivate his talents.

He did the minimum but not the maximum. He was strong for his age, but only to that extent.

'That's why he lost.'

The third was different. Once, he was similar to the fourth, but after his awakening, he pursued the maximum, not the minimum.

That small but significant difference determined the outcome of the battle.

"Shiran... Will the incident the third caused this time mark the beginning of a war?"

* * *

"What?!"

"Huh? Weren't you the one taking care of him?"

"I thought he went with Young Master..."

Xu Liang's expression turned blank.

"What? So where did this guy go...?"

At that moment, a loud "Ang!" came from the distant bushes.

Xu Liang sighed in relief, and Ang Hua's pale face turned into a frown.

"There you are."

Pitter-patter.

Upon spotting Xu Liang, Jin Hu quickly ran over and leaped into his arms.

"Hey, look at this guy? He's gained quite a bit of weight, hasn't he?"

It wasn't just empty words. He was still cute, but his body and legs had grown longer, and his tail seemed more lush than before.

Xu Liang gently stroked Jin Hu's nose.

Jin Hu made a strange purring sound, looking content. He still had the appearance of a cat.

"You little guy, I was worried, but it seems you managed to find food everywhere."

"Ang!"

"Hey? Your belly is a bit thin? We can't let this continue. Let's eat first."

Despite having eaten a lot of food just a little while ago, he suggested eating again.

But Ang Hua, who didn't know this, quickly bowed her head.

"I'll prepare the meal!"

"Ah, just a little is fine. I just ate on my way back."

"Okay!"

As Ang Hua moved, Xu Liang carried Jin Hu into the room.

"Ah, so comfortable!"

He flopped onto the bed, and it was the most comfortable feeling in the world.

Jin Hu, watching Xu Liang sprawled out, curled up beside his face, his tail wagging. Even without grooming, his fur felt consistently good.

Xu Liang scratched Jin Hu's chin.

"Hey, don't go wandering around until you're fully grown. You don't know how dangerous people can be."

Purr.

"By the way, are you really a fox? Not a cat?"

Purr.

"Such a curious little guy."

Jin Hu kept rubbing his head against Xu Liang's hand, looking content.

Feeling comfortable, Xu Liang scratched Jin Hu's chin while lying on the familiar bed, and he started to yawn.

"Yawn... I'm sleepy..."

His eyelids felt heavy, and his whole body felt like a water-soaked cotton ball.

Xu Liang's eyes slowly closed.

Rumble.

Jin Hu's eyes glowed with a rainbow of colors, and a faint red mist rose from Xu Liang's body.

It was so faint that it was almost imperceptible. It wasn't the flamboyant and intimidating aura of the Dark Shadow Demon Technique.

If someone were here,

If there were a master with the Divine Eye, who had transcended human limits and entered the realm of supreme mastery, they would have seen the thin, intangible energy flowing from Xu Liang's brow to Jin Hu's body.

Whirr.

The intangible energy, twisted like a thread, quickly became thick and lush.

Puff.

The turbid energy remaining in Xu Liang's body dispersed into the air.

Whirr.

As the turbid energy was extracted, the Wu Ai Gong (Emptiness Technique) was subtly activated. The air in the room instantly became pure.

Jin Hu made another strange purring sound.

Rumble.

Jin Hu's fur glowed faintly, and a very auspicious aura emanated from his body.

After a while,

The intangible energy and the auspicious aura from Jin Hu, as well as the red aura from Xu Liang, disappeared.

Creak!

"Young Master! The meal... Oh?"

"Ugh."

Xu Liang rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"Oh, you're here?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were sleeping..."

"No, it's fine. I don't even remember when I fell asleep."

Xu Liang yawned widely and brought the table over.

"Let's eat."

A truly rare happy meal for two people and one beast began.

Jin Hu ate very enthusiastically. He was already a big eater for his size, but it seemed his appetite had increased even more, and he ate almost twice as much as before.

Xu Liang, with a puzzled look, muttered.

"Since foxes are predators, they should be fine with just meat... right?"

He was worried because Jin Hu was eating too much. If this continued, he might end up rolling around due to excess weight.

After the storm of a meal, Xu Liang fell asleep again.

Ang Hua's face showed concern.

'He must have been exhausted.'

She wasn't deaf. She had heard from her Joyful Garden peers that Young Master had suffered quite a bit over the past few days.

She couldn't show it, but she was very worried.

'I should give him some space for a while.'

Three days passed.

During this time, Xu Liang became a slave to sleep.

He slept all day, woke up to eat the meal Ang Hua prepared, and went back to sleep. When he woke up, he ate again, and after eating, he fell back asleep.

Even Ang Hua, who was worried, thought, 'Is this really okay...?'

On the fourth day, Xu Liang no longer succumbed to the temptation of sleep.

"Ugh! Oh, my back hurts."

He had slept so much that his body felt like it was shrinking. However, his muscles were completely relaxed, giving him a very limp feeling.

"Phew, was I too tense before? I slept so deeply that I forgot about the world... Huh?"

Xu Liang blinked.

"What's this?"

He looked at his hands.

While looking at his hands, his consciousness was scanning his entire body.

"Why do I feel so energetic?"

He was clearly in a state where turbid energy had accumulated in his meridians due to several battles and irregular living.

Even if he focused, the amount was so small that it was barely noticeable, but ignoring it could cause problems in his future practice.

Not only had the turbid energy completely evaporated, but his body was in its best condition.

'At this level, I could probably go without cultivating for a few days, right?'

How strange.

Xu Liang marveled.

"Indeed, sleep is a good medicine..."

...But it couldn't be this good!

If four days of eating and sleeping could improve one's body, why would there be sick people in the world? Especially since he hadn't been expending much energy.

Rumble.

When he lightly activated the Dark Shadow Demon Technique, the demonic energy seemed ready to burst out, moving vigorously.

'Is it because I opened the Gate of the Dark Shadow Demon Technique?'

The Gate of the Dark Shadow Demon Technique is the true opening of the Dark Shadow Demon Technique.

However, that wasn't the end. The fully opened Dark Shadow Demon Technique created the next and the next gate.

The Dark Shadow Demon Technique, with its five layers of gates.

Each time he broke through a layer, the depth of the technique increased dramatically.

The other four layers, which he had sealed, could be opened as his understanding and mastery of the technique deepened.

'But opening the gates shouldn't cause such a miraculous change...'

At that moment, Jin Hu yawned widely.

Xu Liang paused his thoughts and scratched Jin Hu's chin. Jin Hu stretched and purred, looking content.

"I need to check my body."

Unexplained growth is more dangerous than unexplained decline. This was a martial principle he had learned after enduring all kinds of hardships for decades.

"Let's start with a warm-up."

Xu Liang walked to the training ground. Jin Hu, who had been lazily yawning and rolling around, followed him cautiously.

'I don't need any special preparation, right?'

Whoosh!

As soon as he stepped onto the training ground, Xu Liang's fist sliced through the air.

The depth of the power he felt in his fist was clearly different. His speed was half a beat faster, and his destructive power had increased.

Xu Liang's body rotated.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of punches echoed in quick succession. Even though his technique emphasized speed, it was as free as the wind and as fast as lightning.

The interval between the sounds was much shorter than before.

"Huff."

It was too fast and intense, requiring more control. It would take some time to get used to it.

After a bout of training, Xu Liang, drenched in sweat, scratched his head.

"Really strange. I can't have gained something just from fighting those half-trained guys."

Whether it was Wei Honglian or Hong Weimin, they had cultivated astonishing martial arts for their age, but they were still far below Xu Liang's level.

It wasn't impossible, but gaining insight from fighting inferior opponents was rare.

While Xu Liang was deep in thought,

'Hmm?'

A familiar energy wave came from the gate.

A strong and flexible energy wave. The deep cultivation indicated that he had been in many battles, and his martial power was inherently outstanding.

At least the leader of a combat unit, if not the leader of an entire organization.

A moment later.

"It's been a while."

Xu Liang's expression turned puzzled.

"What brings you here?"

Xiao Lianxin smiled softly.

"Let's have a drink."