Chapter 197: Poison-absorbing Green Bead
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
It took just a moment’s time for the whole room to be full of insect carca.s.ses. Junior Leopard had to move and start thinking about the aftermath.
Could he not think about it?
No! Obviously, he underestimated the effect of this Detoxicating Bead. Now he knew that the Detoxicating Bead was attracting all the poisonous insects around, absorbing their toxins, and then kicking them away. It was not attracting one or two but thousands.
The more toxins it absorbed, the brighter the Detoxicating Bead got. Enveloped in the green light, Junior Leopard began to fall into a marvelous state.
The boundless toxins seemed to awaken some strange things in the Detoxicating Bead, and the awakened strange things were strangely a.s.sociating with his Internal Qi.
“Intelligence, it’s intelligence!”
Suddenly, Junior Leopard thought of this strange thing being intelligence. If he had not used the Golden Goose Cup, his intelligence of Internal Qi would not have sensed it, but now he had experienced the intelligence that the Golden Goose Cup brought to his body and Internal Qi. He had not been aware of the function of intelligence, but he was perfectly sure of its function in such circ.u.mstances.
The strange thing he sensed in the Detoxicating Bead was intelligence. The intelligence in his Internal Qi began to stir due to the attraction of the Detoxicating Bead’s intelligence.
“You’re just a G.o.dd.a.m.n green bead! Is it not boring to attract things all day long?” Junior Leopard silently cursed, but he could not prevent these two kinds of intelligence from attracting each other.
Yes, he could not prevent them.
He had some knowledge of intelligence after regulating his breathing just now. He found out that the intelligence was controllable, but to control it, you had to realize your divine thoughts.
In other words, if you could realize your divine thoughts, then you could control the intelligence of your Internal Qi through divine thoughts.
Junior Leopard was not lacking in divine thoughts. In fact, at this time, he lacked nothing but knowledge.
He didn’t understand what was going on. However, he knew what to do.
Both divine thoughts and intelligence were intangible things. Strange changes would occur when they mixed together. Junior Leopard’s divine thoughts had been mixed with the intelligence of his Internal Qi, but unlike the others, there was one more thing in his divine thoughts and intelligence. It was the Detoxicating Bead’s intelligence.
Therefore, he didn’t do anything with his divine thoughts, but he felt and watched until he confirmed one thing.
His Internal Qi’s intelligence had been thoroughly mixed with and entangled in the Detoxicating Bead’s intelligence. They bit at each other just like an adulterous couple, and there was a tendency to infuse. As the infusion took place, Junior Leopard’s divine thoughts were slowly rolled in and a slightly familiar feeling followed. He once had this feeling when he was refining the 49 Demon Devil Needles. It was the feeling of refining magic weapons.
“Am I refining a magic weapon? Is the Detoxicating Bead a celestial device? No, no, it’s not. Should it be a magic weapon?” He wondered in his mind.
Only he could think so much at this time. If w.a.n.g She knew, he would jealously slap him until s.h.i.+t came out.
The Detoxicating Bead was indeed a magic weapon, and it was an unusual magic weapon. A magic weapon with its own intelligence.
A celestial device was qualified to be called a magic weapon only when it had intelligence. For example, Junior Leopard’s Demon Devil Needles were only a celestial device, though they were powerful.
The method of refining the celestial device was quite simple. One only needed to drop essence and blood on the magic weapon and then work your divine thoughts according to principle. After a period of practice, you could master it.
However, the magic weapon was different due to its intelligence. If you wanted to refine and drive a magic weapon, one more step must be added before refining your divine thoughts. That was intelligence integration.
Only by integrating your own intelligence with the magic weapon’s, and with the essence and blood as a guide, could you succeed in refining it. If you could not feel intelligence, then, even if it was the most powerful magic weapon in the world in front of you and you had the detailed usage instructions, you could not refine it, let alone drive it.
There were many people that had Internal Qi and practiced it to a certain level, as well as people that had condensed Evil Qi to Gang Qi. However, there were few people whose Internal Qi could produce intelligence and could feel it. In this way, the Golden Goose Cup was especially valuable, especially for those experts whose cultivation had reached Level Eight or Nine, but had no intelligence. This group of people had a very high status in the world and occupied a huge amount of resources. Everyone had a few good things, including magic weapons, but as previously mentioned, if you had no intelligence in your Internal Qi, you could do nothing but look on. At most, you could only use them as a brick to smash people with and waste.
Junior Leopard was ignorant of this, but owing to his good luck, the two kinds of intelligence merged. The two kinds of intelligence were intangible, but his divine thoughts could clearly feel that innumerable invisible tentacles reached out of his Internal Qi. Likewise, there were also countless invisible tentacles reaching out of the green light of the Detoxicating Bead. They were all tangled up together and finally merged.
“This is the last batch!” Seeing that the outstretched intelligence tentacles had completely merged into the intelligence of his Internal Qi, Junior Leopard felt a flicker and then waved his hand to cut his fingertip without thinking. A drop of blood was forced out, dripping onto the Detoxicating Bead.
Almost at the same time, he felt a roar in the head. Nearly in a moment, the divine thoughts infuse into the intelligence that had been fused in one place and a sense of harmony emerged.
At this moment, the Detoxicating Bead seemed to be part of his body. This was a wonderful feeling.
It was quite wonderful. He could even feel the breath of the Detoxicating Bead. Of course, there was only the inhalation without exhalation. He seemed to be able to hear the extremely pleasurable roar of the Detoxicating Bead when it absorbed toxins from the surrounding poisonous insects as if he could feel an extreme delight. What was more, he seemed to incarnate as the Detoxicating Bead to absorb the surrounding toxins.
“Hiss, hiss, hiss!” Unwittingly, Junior Leopard began to make a long sighing sound. As his breathing grew louder, the pulse of the Detoxicating Bead began to slow. Eventually, it matched the frequency of his breathing.
“What am I doing, taking drugs?”
Junior Leopard suddenly shuddered as if he felt something and he exited out of the state of ‘taking drugs’. Though his thoughts were back, the Detoxicating Bead still pulsed at the frequency of his breathing.
Only then did he realize that his hand, which had been holding the Detoxicating Bead, had unconsciously released it. Now, the Detoxicating Bead was not in front of him but floating on the top of his head. The green light curtain fell down from the Detoxicating Bead and enveloped his whole body. At this time this light curtain had become completely green and luxuriant. It was especially beautiful. While in the eyes of Junior Leopard, the very beautiful green light curtain contained the danger of heart palpitations.
The whole room had become a sea of insects. Two windows and one door had already been burst open. All the insects that had filled the air in the city flooded in, filling up s.p.a.ce as if they had stimulants. If he had not been enveloped by the green light curtain, Junior Leopard believed that he would now, like the rest of the things in the house, be overwhelmed by the sea of insects.
However, despite the protection of the green light curtain, Junior Leopard felt a rush of panic when he saw the poisonous insects all over the air.
All of a sudden, Junior Leopard did some quick thinking. He stretched out his hand, took out the Smiling-face Mask and put it on his face. He felt that the smell of a few strands of spirit was coming towards him from Goldenrim Commandery City. Apparently, they were alerted by the change here.
In fact, all of the people in Goldenrim Commandery City had been alarmed by the change.
Goldenrim Commandery City was indeed full of poisonous insects. Since it was widespread, and the poisonous insects were small, people didn’t even notice at all and took them as ordinary dust. However, now, with the attraction of the Detoxicating Bead, all the poisonous insects in the city were gathering at the inn where Junior Leopard had settled down. They had formed a large black cloud and covered the whole inn from above. Out of the dark cloud, three strands of insects flows flowed into Junior Leopard’s house and were like three tiny tornadoes making a rustling sound.
The astonished guests at the inn were already in a daze staring at it, but no one dared to make a sound, lest the odd dark cloud would engulf them. Most guests were busy packing their bags and running out of the inn as fast as they could after seeing it.
Seven or eight figures, which appeared from all over the city, came to the inn. The largest number of figures, of course, was from the Governor Mansion of South Yuezhou State, a total of four figures rus.h.i.+ng to the inn.
“Teacher, what’s going on? Why are the saint worm losing control?”
Two of the four rus.h.i.+ng people were Level Six masters of martial arts. They were dressed in the same blue, gilt-edged suit, with the other two sandwiched between them. One of the two men in the middle was an old man in a gray robe, looking more than 70 years old and very pale. His grey eyes were cloudy with a breath of decay.
The man at the old man’s side was the one who just asked. He was a young man, about 23 or 24 years old and with a handsome face, but now his handsome face was filled with anxiety and trepidation. His eyes flashed a cruel light now and again.
“The saint insects are being attracted by a powerful force. To my guess, the source of this power should be the legendary Poison-absorbing Green Bead!”
The old man’s voice, as well as his face, was so full of decay that it seemed as if he might fall down at any moment. However, when he mentioned the name of Poison-absorbing Green Bead, his eyes flickered with greed that was not commensurate with his age.
“The Poison-absorbing Green Bead?”
After he heard the name, there was more rapaciousness in the young man’s eyes than his teacher’s. There was also an overbearing l.u.s.t.
“Really? Teacher, didn’t you say that…”
“I indeed said that this thing has not appeared for thousands of years.” The old man interrupted. “But I didn’t say that it would not appear again!”
“Yes!” The young man bowed his head and stopped talking.
Suddenly, the old man gently lifted his head as if he felt something. A faint light glimmered through his head of a few hairs, and then a misty grey mist appeared beside him and enveloped the youth and the two Level Six masters.
Gang Qi, this was Gang Qi that only a Level Seven expert was capable of possessing.
The old man, who looked as if his whole body had been buried in the earth except his head, was an expert!
The surging gray Gang Qi pulled the four men, who were launching their body movements to curvet onto the roof, flying up into the air. The old man took the four men with his Gang Qi and with a shrill roar, they flew to the inn, more than 10 times faster than before.
The roar of flying in the air went far away and soon spread throughout the whole Goldenrim Commandery City.
Hearing the roar, the figures that appeared in the city paused. Looking at the direction of the inn, they all sighed and left.
“Hum, a bunch of guys who overestimate their abilities!”
Having noticed the other figures, the young man gave a cold snort and the cruelty on his face was heavier.
“Young Master, they’re masters from each family in Goldenrim Commandery City. This time I can scare them away, but it’s up to you in the future!”
“Teacher, rest a.s.sured. I don’t put them in my eyes!” The young man replied while glancing at the two men beside him. “Besides, there are two of them. Then those masters dare not be wanton in this Goldenrim City!”
The old man did not speak anymore but pushed his Gang Qi to fly towards Flyingcrane Restaurant.
Flyingcrane Restaurant had been completely surrounded by poisonous insects. Along with the three men, the old man stopped at about 100 feet from the inn and somewhat hesitated.
“Teacher, let’s go in. I’d like to see who dares to break my neck in Goldenrim Commandery City!” Seeing the thick ‘dark cloud’ above the inn, the young man viciously said.
“Young Master, don’t act rashly! If the opposite side really has the Poison-absorbing Green Bead, we will suffer a disadvantage by rus.h.i.+ng in!” The old man’s gaze was fixed on the insect cloud above the inn and the insect flows extending from the insect cloud.
“If it’s really the Poison-absorbing Green Bead, Teacher, you…”
“Young Master, don’t worry. Even if it’s the Poison-absorbing Green Bead, it’s not very useful for my cultivation!” The old man looked at the young man deeply. “Now the question is how to get in!”
“That’s simple, teacher. We go straight in. With your cultivation and the three of us here, even if he has the Poison-absorbing Green Bead, it won’t help!”
The young man became excited when he heard the old man’s words. His eyes flickered with greed as if he were about to rush in and take the Detoxicating Bead from Junior Leopard.
“It can’t be rushed, can’t be rushed!” The old man shook his head. “If it’s really the Poison-absorbing Green Bead, the one who could drive it should be at least Level Six in cultivation, even higher. In addition, the Poison-absorbing Green Bead is in his hands, so if we rush in, we’re sure to lose!”
“Then what should we do now?” asked the young man urgently.
“Wait!”
“Wait? Until when? How can we watch him take all of these saint worms?”
“The virulence of the saint worms has been fully activated by the Poison-absorbing Green Bead. Look at the surroundings of the insect cloud!” The old man pointed at the surroundings of the insect cloud. The three stared at it and found that there were faint violet lights s.h.i.+ning through the surrounding of the insect cloud, so weak that you would not notice it if you did not gaze.
“This is the result of the saint worms’ virulence that has been completely stimulated. So many saint insects are together and the toxicity can poison an old monster of the Mysterious Realm, not to mention us. If we go in now, we’ll be dead!”
“But if we wait until he’s completely refined the saint worms’ virulence…”
“He can’t do it!” The old man interrupted him. “If the insect cloud disappears, all of the toxicity will have been absorbed by the Poison-absorbing Green Bead. It will take a very long time for the Poison-absorbing Green Bead to digest and fuse the toxicity. During this time, the Poison-absorbing Green Bead is not available for use… Then it’ll be our chance!”
Hearing the old man’s words, the young man was relieved, but he looked at the Flyingcrane Restaurant with an unreconciled gaze. Suddenly, he asked, “Who the h.e.l.l is inside? Have you found out?”
“Young Master, early this morning, the gatekeeper of the city gate had reported that an eccentric black-clothed man entered the city and lodged in Flyingcrane Restaurant. The Garrison Mansion thought that he was just a pa.s.ser-by from the martial arts world, so they only sent people to watch at the inn’s door. Unexpectedly, this person caused such a big ruckus!”
“Dammit, why are all the Garrison Manor’s soldiers so useless?” Asked the young man angrily.
“It’s not the Garrison Mansion’s fault. Every day people come and go. No one can guarantee that no man in the martial arts world will come to Yuezhou. They have been careful and watched all suspicious people. Right, do you know what the black-clothed man looks like?”
“It’s said to be a middle-aged man, his figure…”
The Level Six master standing beside the Young Master began to describe the characteristics of Junior Leopard. The description was very detailed and was similar to Junior Leopard’s appearance.
As he listened, the young man’s face grew darker, “Did he wear a weird Smiling-face Mask?”
The Level Six master froze, and then his expression also changed, “No, he didn’t. If he came to the city wearing a mask, the gatekeeper would not be able to see his age and would not only send two men to watch him in the Flyingcrane Restaurant!”
“Wearing a mask? What, you know this guy?” Hearing their dialogue, the old man raised his eyebrows slightly.
“No, but his dress reminds us of a man!” The Young Master’s face took on a ghastly expression.
“The guy seems to be famous. Who is he?”
“Master, you have been in closed-door training these years, so you don’t know him. He only showed up once in Jianghu, but he did a big thing!” The Young Master replied wearing a grave expression, “His name is Xiao. A year ago, w.a.n.g She, one of the three Chiefs of the Tian Long Taoism, kidnapped a bride in Qinlingjun City, Yunzhou, and he was one of the partic.i.p.ants. According to people presented at the time, Xiao was at most a Level Six master, but he challenged Gao Yulou of the Golden Lights Cave, who had just ascended into Level Seven, and led him away. Since then, Gao Yulou hasn’t appeared. According to internal news from the Mingyi School and the Golden Lights Cave, Gao Yulou has gone without a trace. At the same time, Xiao also disappeared. It’s estimated that both sides were injured. Unexpectedly, it’s only a year before he appeared again!”
It would surprise Junior Leopard if he heard this. He only appeared once in Jianghu as Xiao, but he was remembered.
He did not know that as Xiao, though he only appeared once, dealing with a Level Seven expert was a big deal. It was just that this event was overshadowed by the two more sensational events of w.a.n.g She ascending into Level Nine and the bride kidnapping. Therefore, ordinary men in Jianghu did not pay much attention to it.
While the men in Jianghu did not pay attention to it, it did not mean that no one cared. A guy, who could make a Level Seven expert disappear without a trace, of course, was definitely someone to watch for major influences. Xiao, this name, had already been listed on the attention list of well-known families in the martial arts world, wealthy families, and barons. It was just that he did not know. He did not even know that Zhou Bao was also listed on this list.
The young man was from the Governor Mansion of Yuezhou. He was Ruan Xiuwen, the eldest son of Yuezhou’s Governor, Ruan Ming. The Ruan Family was not just the Governor of Yuezhou. For thousands of years, the Ruan Family was the largest headman in Yuezhou before Jin and even the earlier dynasty was established. Therefore, the family was deeply entrenched here. It was based on this fact that since Yuezhou was incorporated into the territory of Jin, the Governor of Yuezhou had been the person from the Ruan Family. It could be said that the Ruan Family was the local emperor of Yuezhou. They were so powerful here that they were stronger than Ma Tianchang of Yunzhou. The family could be said to be an extremely powerful well-known family of Jin. Such a family needed to pay attention to not only the matters in the court but also the things in Jianghu.
That what kind of masters or experts appeared in Jianghu, his background, ident.i.ty, advantages, level of martial arts, whether could be provoked or not were all in the range of their intelligence to be referenced for the children of the family. They naturally knew people like Xiao, a strange man who only appeared once but killed a Level Seven expert. Not only did they know him, but the intelligence gathered the detailed features of Xiao and were all clear for the children of the family, in order to let them be careful, and not provoke him if they met him in Jianghu in the future when they were training in Jianghu.
As the eldest son of the Ruan Family, the most powerful contender of the future Governor of Yuezhou, Ruan Xiuwen definitely knew Xiao.
However, they were already involved in this matter.