plumnovel Chapter 87 Narrow Path
Chapter 87 Narrow Path
The rain was pouring down.
At first it was a light drizzle, but later it became like silver threads connecting, as if a curtain of water was being held up between heaven and earth.
Halfway up the mountain.
Seven or eight armored men stood under a large tree, not to take shelter from the rain, but to look at the lead gray, thin dog.
Its ears are pointed with short hair, its limbs are long and narrow, its eyes are bright and piercing, and there is a diamond-shaped white spot on its forehead, which adds to its mystique.
Rainwater falls on its fur and then falls to the ground without getting wet at all.
The greyhound sniffed the ground, then looked up at its left and right, its face showing hesitation. It didn't bark and chase after the dog as it usually did.
Everyone cursed aloud. Who couldn't see that the scout dog issued by the provincial government, supposedly a direct descendant of the legendary dogs of the capital, had lost track of the enemy's scent?
Coach Qi looked up at the sky with a gloomy face and cursed under his breath.
"This damned heavens, are they perhaps siding with those two scoundrels too?!"
Hong Tatian and Chai Qing escaped from prison in Gongzhou Prefecture, then fled south and then east, making a huge detour to mislead everyone.
The provincial government, located to the north, received a message by carrier pigeon. They mustered their forces and, traveling day and night, finally caught up with the enemy.
The scout dog sniffed out the items the two men used in prison—actually the straw they were lying on—and after confirming the scent, it tracked them all the way here, which is quite impressive.
Thanks to the interception by experts from other prefectures, the experts from all prefectures have now determined that the enemy is hiding somewhere in these mountains.
Instructor Qi and his group were eager to make their mark and achieve great things.
As a result, when the rain came down, even the scout dog was at a loss. Without the scout dog to guide the way, who knew where the other person was hiding in the vast mountains?
Yang Silang and Tong Baisui exchanged a helpless glance. He wondered if his own Heizi would be able to smell the other's scent if he were here.
This time, the provincial government mobilized a large number of people, including past martial arts graduates, soldiers, and experts from the Six Doors, totaling about several dozen people. They were all dressed in armor and divided into several teams to enter the mountains.
Their team consisted of eight people, led by Instructor Qi; each team was arranged in the same way, with one Steel-Dirty Grand Martial Master leading the team, and the rest being elite Iron-Bone Martial Masters.
Based on intelligence, it was determined that Hong Tatian and Chai Qing had been severely tortured in prison, with their tendons in their hands and feet severed and their collarbones pierced. It was likely that they were able to regain their kung fu and escape from prison using some kind of evil method.
They killed many high-ranking officials along the way, but judging from the traces on the corpses, the two were not at their peak.
Therefore, dividing everyone into several teams is the most suitable arrangement. Another team consists of five steel-dirty martial arts masters, all of whom are experts from various families. They are prepared to launch a swift attack and deliver the final blow when a small team discovers the two thieves.
Qi's team was the weakest among all the teams. The reason was simple: Qi himself had only been a Steel Dirty Grand Martial Master for a few years, and was not considered powerful among experts of the same level.
Yang Silang and his companions were all candidates for the imperial examinations this year, and all of them were at the Iron Bone Martial Master level.
Only Yang Silang has reached the level of internal organ training and is attempting to break through to the Steel Bone Realm. Most of the others are just beginning to become Iron Bone Martial Masters, so their overall strength is much inferior to that of the other teams.
Fortunately, the government did not expect them to be able to stop and kill the two thieves. As long as they found their trail, fought them for a while, and had a chance to set off a firework alarm, they would consider their mission accomplished.
Because Hong Tatian and Chai Qing escaped from prison—one a traitor, the other a former deputy general—their capture and subsequent escape had a very negative impact, and both were extremely dangerous, the reward for this mission was set very high.
Yang Silang and several other newly appointed scholars came to participate in this mission in order to see the martial arts manuals. For example, although Tong Baisui did not practice the Taizu Long Fist, the Mountain Shaking Fist had no way forward after reaching the Steel-Dirty Realm.
He needed to switch to learning a martial art, and besides Taizu Changquan, there were other unique martial arts manuals in the martial arts manuals. Naturally, candidates from "ordinary" backgrounds, who were not from aristocratic families or major schools, flocked to learn them.
Yang Silang straightened his iron armor, which was a standard military-grade iron armor issued by the government. It was well-made. Of course, his defense relied on the toad-scale armor he wore underneath, meaning he was wearing two layers of armor.
He came to make a name for himself, not to die, so he naturally paid great attention to his own defense. Anyway, he was strong and could move freely even in double armor, and he would use his healing powers from time to time.
Wearing heavy armor, he climbed the mountain for half a day, trudging through the mud. Even Coach Qi showed signs of fatigue on his face, but he remained energetic.
Waiting was boring, and a screen of light appeared before his eyes.
Yang Silang
Lifespan (basic): 17/160.
Force (Basic): 280
[Skill 1: Toad Strength, practice five times a day, 180/300.]
[Skill 2: Advanced Five-Weapon System, 30/200]
【Skill 3: Great Five-in-One Fist, 30/200】
He practiced the Toad Strength internally, which only increased his lifespan by 10 points, but his strength increased by 30 to 280, and with the blessing of the inscription, it is close to 340. In terms of qi and blood strength alone, even Tong Renyuan admitted that he was close to the threshold of the Steel Dirty Grand Martial Master.
In terms of brute strength alone, he is not much inferior to a beginner-level Steel-Dirty Grandmaster; what he lacks is the skill in using force and the killing moves in his fists.
Nine months ago, when Yang Silang took the martial arts exam, Hong Tatian treated him like a nobody. Now that Hong Tatian has become a stray dog, Yang Silang, with the Overturning Toad Armor protecting him, really wants to see how he can stand up to the half-crippled Hong Tatian.
The group stood in the rain for a while.
The sound of flapping wings echoed in the air.
A silver pigeon flew in through the rain, its body shimmering with a faint silver light that kept the rain out and kept its feathers dry. It was used by the government to deliver messages.
The pigeon circled once in the air and landed on Coach Qi's arm.
Instructor Qi pulled a piece of paper from the silver bundle under its legs, and after reading it, frowned and said to the people behind him.
"Orders from above: two people per group, spread out, and search the mountain!"
"Be careful. If you encounter those two thieves, hide or run. Sending out the warning fireworks will signify success!"
"The other teams will follow the same plan. We'll weave a net and find those two thieves!"
Everyone responded and began to form groups. Since Yang Silang and Tong Baisui were both considered strong, they were separated.
Yang Silang and a classmate named Hu Feng were paired up. At Instructor Qi's command, the group dispersed and quickly disappeared into the vast mountains.
-
In the tiger's den.
Only a strong smell of blood remained. The two enormous tiger corpses had almost been swallowed by Bomba Tian and Chai Qing, and some color had returned to their faces.
They stared intently at the ground, in a pool of blood, where a huge tiger heart had a hole in it, then quickly shriveled up, its inside completely eaten away.
A plump, finger-thick Wind-Detecting Gu with dark skin emerged from the cave.
Once the worm had eaten its fill, it began to work, standing on the ground like a person, or like a chopstick growing out of the ground, its head moving flexibly in all directions.
When it turned in a certain direction, its skin turned blood red, and Hong Tatian and Chai Qing looked very unwell.
The Wind-Seeking Gu is timid as a mouse and has little fighting power, yet it is the only thing that has allowed the two of them to survive until now.
This Gu is born with a supernatural ability to sense the blood and qi of martial artists from a great distance. If the skin of the person in question is bright red, it means that there is a martial artist in front of them whose blood and qi are like a furnace, and they should not be provoked.
If the skin remains unchanged, it means that there are martial artists blocking the way, but the host should be able to deal with them.
Of course, the Wind-Detecting Gu is not omnipotent; there are many ways to shield and deceive its senses, such as martial arts masters controlling and suppressing their qi and blood.
However, the two men knew that the government had no knowledge of this information and could not take any precautions against it.
The Gu worms on the ground continued to spin, the color of their thick blood fading from crimson to light red, until finally, as they rushed toward a corner, their skin became shiny black.
Hong Tatian and Chai Qing exchanged a glance, then left the cave without hesitation and braved the rain.
They needed to cross the mountains and rivers as quickly as possible to reach a neighboring province, where the Holy Church had a stronghold; once they arrived, they would be safe.