Chapter 47

...

As the sun neared dusk, the sky was ablaze with red clouds.

Yang Yu, with a bundle on his back, trudged through the snow, one step deep, one step shallow, toward the nearest village.

Although Black Mountain was vast, there were not many suitable places for a stronghold.

Wang Wu, an experienced old official, had already narrowed down the suspects in half a month, determining the approximate location of the Liansheng Sect's branch in the city.

At this moment, they were descending the mountain separately to find an experienced hunter to guide them.

With the mountain sealed by heavy snow and traps hidden in the forest, they dared not act rashly without a guide.

"Fifteen people to share, it won't be much, but with these ingredients, it won't be a loss!"

Walking alone in the snow, Yang Yu was in high spirits.

Including this 'prescription,' he had already obtained seven ingredients, and he only needed the last four to complete the ten ingredients required by the 'recipe.'

"Nine oxen and two tigers, I wonder if it's the nine oxen and two tigers I think it is."

Yang Yu thought to himself, pulling out a yellowed piece of silk from his chest.

A bandit stronghold didn't have much silver, but there were plenty of stolen goods that couldn't be sold. He received little, precisely because of this piece of silk.

On the silk was a blood-replacement prescription!

And it was complete, with clear and error-free text, making it extremely valuable.

According to Wang Wu, this prescription was worth at least 3,000 taels of silver, more valuable than the entire bandit stronghold.

If he hadn't agreed to the others' request to copy it in silver, he might not have been able to get it.

Swish~

Unfolding the silk, the slightly messy handwriting was clearly visible.

The opening was a personal narrative.

"…In my youth, I worked in the fields, unable to distinguish between the five grains, and could not endure the fatigue, so I turned to business. Unfortunately, I was honest while others were cunning, and my savings were depleted in a single day…"

"…Still unwilling to give up, I turned to literature, but failed for years, feeling sorrowful yet still unwilling to give up. I then turned to martial arts, practicing day and night, until my legs became partially paralyzed…"

"Fortunately! After years of illness, I became a good doctor, and after much experimentation, I finally created a prescription…

Perhaps it can be taken?"

After the narrative, there were the names and quantities of various ingredients, along with some precautions.

At the end, however, was a different handwriting.

It added some other ingredients and refuted the original prescription.

"I wonder if this Xu Yixiao, who wrote the prescription, successfully replaced his blood?"

Yang Yu found it amusing.

According to the bandits, after Han Jiang obtained the prescription, he didn't dare take it rashly. He later consulted a famous doctor, who made many additions and deletions.

After that, Han Jiang and his three sworn brothers successfully replaced their blood.

As for whether this Mr. Xu, who failed in everything, was still alive, no one knew.

"At least it's better than nothing."

He casually tucked it back into his chest, and in the distance, a village was vaguely visible.

Yang Yu quickened his pace and soon approached the village. However, he was somewhat surprised to find the village quite deserted.

It was already evening, yet there was no smoke from cooking fires.

Just as he was about to enter the village to ask, he suddenly heard a faint, strange sound of a copper bell.

"Is there a Liansheng Sect member here?"

Yang Yu's heart tightened, and he hid behind an old tree.

The Liansheng Sect had been spreading its teachings outside the city for over a year. Although he always avoided them, he was not unfamiliar with them.

He remembered that all Liansheng Sect members who preached would hang a red bell on their waist, which sounded different from other bells.

It sounded like a child crying at night, a sound he remembered well.

Sure enough, not long after, a Liansheng Sect member dressed in white, carrying a bamboo basket, appeared from another direction.

The man was thin and dark, looking like a half-grown child at first glance, but he walked quickly and soon reached the village entrance.

With his arrival, the village suddenly became lively.

A large group of villagers gathered at the village entrance, respectfully and even humbly inviting the man into the village.

"The Liansheng Sect has indeed penetrated deeper outside the city!"

Yang Yu's heart skipped a beat. Following Wang Wu's advice, he suppressed his blood flow and held his breath, following behind.

Ding ling ling~

The strange bell sound rang out from time to time.

The Liansheng Sect member walked briskly, followed by many villagers, who knocked on doors house by house, collecting silver offerings.

The villagers often looked pale and emaciated, fearful but dared not refuse.

Yang Yu saw clearly that the villagers were not handing over silver, but black-red pills.

"What is that?"

Yang Yu's doubts deepened.

The man's speed was fast, and before long, he had walked through the entire village, and the bamboo basket on his back was already full.

Yang Yu squeezed the whistle in his chest, hesitating whether to notify the others.

The man, however, put down the full bamboo basket and sneered,

"Which little ghost dares to follow this Daoist?"

"Did he discover me?"

Yang Yu's heart trembled, and he gripped his waist knife.

Bang!

He was just cursing Wang Wu's breath-holding technique as ineffective when he heard a dull sound.

A tall, robust old man collapsed the roof, his face red with anger, and pounced at the man,

"Ren Ming, give me my son's life back!"

Peng~

The next moment, two palms collided.

"Ah!"

The tall figure cried out in pain and was pushed back several feet.

Yang Yu's eyes narrowed.

The old man was robust and had the advantage of a high position for a surprise attack, yet he was still pushed back by the man's raised hand.

"It's you, old man."

Ren Ming shook his hand and sneered, "Your son was stupid, and you are even more stupid! With so many footprints at the village entrance, you still thought of ambushing this Daoist?"

"What footprints?"

The old man was slightly stunned, then roared and pounced, like a mad lion, fighting with all his might, clearly pushing his inner energy to the limit.

Footprints?

Yang Yu's heart skipped a beat in the shadows. The footprints must be his, as he had not bothered to cover his tracks when descending the mountain, lacking the skill to leave no trace in the snow.

"Ah!"

Facing the old man's desperate attacks, the man only dodged, and when the old man needed to catch his breath, he suddenly attacked.

With one punch, he sent the old man flying, spitting blood.

"Ha ha!"

The old man coughed up blood but laughed maniacally, using the force of being hit to grab the bamboo basket,

"Without this basket of 'Yang Pills' and 'Yin Pills,' watch how you die!"

He knew he was no match for the man, so his initial goal was the basket of evil drugs.

The desperate attacks were just a ruse.

"Damn old dog!"

The man was thoroughly enraged, his blood-red body shaking with a fierce roar as he pursued the old man.

"What are 'Yang Pills' and 'Yin Pills'?"

Yang Yu pondered, his grip on the knife tightening.

Whoosh!

The two men ran madly, one in front and one behind.

In the shadows, Yang Yu waited with focused attention.

His hiding place was the best position for escape. If the old man were to flee, he would choose this route.

Sure enough, amidst the swirling air, the two men came one after the other, only three or four yards away from him.

"This distance is a bit too far…

In a flash, Yang Yu suddenly crouched, stepped forward, and drew his knife,

Swoosh~

The waist knife swept horizontally, transforming into a crescent of cold light, aiming directly at the back of the man's neck as he passed by!

A decapitating strike!

"Rats, how dare you ambush me?!"

The cold wind enveloped him, and the man, like a startled cat, roared and leaped to avoid the attack from behind.

"Ah!!!"

A scream echoed through the village.

"What?"

The old man, who was almost out of the village, suddenly turned around, only to see a flash of blade light amidst the blood mist, which disappeared instantly.

The evil man screamed as he fell from the air, his legs severed!

"Ah!"

The man's face was contorted, his eyes blood-red, and he roared, pounding the ground and leaping up, viciously pouncing on Yang Yu,

"I will tear you apart!!"

"Sorry, sorry. Your posture was too good, and I couldn't resist for a moment."

Yang Yu dodged calmly, and with a backhand strike, he slammed the man to the ground,

"Unfortunately, I need to keep him alive, so I can't behead him…"