The moonlight was gentle. The house at the very back of the villa was adjacent to a hundred-zhang cliff, and below was the mine that was being excavated day and night.
Cheng Shilu, with a burly figure, tore a towel from under the eaves to wipe the blood on his chest. He entered the study. Seeing that Ye Jingtang didn't follow in, he didn't close the door either. He directly opened the hidden door in front of the bookshelf.
Hua~
Cheng Shilu came to the front of the armor, fetched a golden bowl, and looked at the round bead inside. A hint of cunning flashed in his eyes.
His horizontal training martial art far exceeded that of ordinary people, and it was indeed thanks to the Tianlang Pearl. But this wasn't the original function of the Tianlang Pearl.
According to the posthumous letter left by his father before his death, the Tianlang Pearl was originally a kind of medicine prepared in Beiliang. It was said to have the effect of "opening the spine and setting the bones", but the specific details were unknown.
The Tianlang Pearl had a special significance in Beiliang. To prevent it from falling into the hands of outsiders, it was prepared with a secret method, and it was useless to others. Also, "Burning Bone Hemp" was specially added to it. Its effect was similar to that of fire hemp. As long as the skin touched it, one would feel as if their body was being burned by fire, to prevent outsiders from trying it even though they knew it was useless.
As the person who prepared the medicine died and his family was exterminated, this Tianlang Pearl, which no one could use anymore, had become a useless item. Now it only had negative effects left.
Cheng Shilu hadn't expected much from the Tianlang Pearl at first. But later he discovered that the Burning Bone Hemp was also a rare medicinal herb. It could stimulate the skin and flesh and train the resistance to pain, which was very suitable for the path of horizontal training martial arts.
For this reason, he tried to soak the Tianlang Pearl in clear water to dilute the potency of the Burning Bone Hemp. He soaked in the water and used the painful areas to stimulate the skin and flesh, gradually achieving his current state.
The medicinal effect of the Burning Bone Hemp was extremely powerful. Cheng Shilu had been soaking in it for many years and had developed a high resistance to the medicine, yet he still didn't dare to touch it directly with his hands for a long time.
For other masters who hadn't trained in this way, as long as they touched the Tianlang Pearl, the Burning Bone Hemp would stick to their flesh. In an instant, they would experience the intense pain of their bones being burned. At the least, they would be in a state of confusion, and at the worst, they would fall to the ground and wail, at the mercy of others.
This was how Cheng Shilu was able to secretly kill the masters who came to his door.
Seeing that Ye Jingtang didn't enter the room but was just looking around outside, Cheng Shilu held the golden bowl openly, took out the Tianlang Pearl from it with his bare hands, tossed it in his palm a few times, and then directly poured the clear water in the golden bowl onto the wound on his shoulder.
Hua hua~~
Daring to directly rinse the wound on the body meant that even if there was poison, it wouldn't be a fast-acting poison, and there would surely be an antidote.
This move was to prove the safety of the Tianlang Pearl to Ye Jingtang, so as to prevent Ye Jingtang from becoming suspicious.
Outside the room, Ye Jingtang took a few looks and didn't see anything special about the bead. He then turned to look at the armor in the stone chamber and asked:
"Is that your father's armor?"
Cheng Shilu put down the golden bowl, wiped his chest with a cloth, suppressed the burning pain, and walked out holding the white jade bead. He smiled and said:
"That's right. My father brought this set of armor with him when he fled from Beiliang. He was nostalgic. It's a serious crime to privately possess armor. Master Ye, please don't report me."
"A set of old armor isn't a major crime. With Sect Master Cheng's connections, I'm sure you're not afraid."
Ye Jingtang's gaze focused on the bead in Cheng Shilu's hand:
"Is this the precious bead that Sect Master Cheng mentioned?"
"Yes. You soak it in water and then use the water to take a bath. Over time, the skin will become stronger and stronger."
Cheng Shilu walked not far from Ye Jingtang and tossed the bead gently.
Hoo~
The white jade bead traced a half-moon arc in the moonlight.
The bead looked very ordinary. Cheng Shilu picked up the bead with his bare hands, poured the water on his chest, and casually threw the bead at a distance without showing any signs of being ready to attack. This made it impossible for others to be on guard.
Ye Jingtang, like an ordinary person, reached out his right hand to catch the jade bead.
Cheng Shilu's expression remained normal when he saw this scene, but a fierce intent had already welled up in his heart.
The bead had been soaked in water. As long as Ye Jingtang's skin touched the Tianlang Pearl, even if he threw it away instantly, he would still be stained with the water traces. Then the medicinal power would quickly seep into his skin and flesh, and he would experience the pain of being burned by fire.
Cheng Shilu secretly gathered his strength, ready to pounce forward and catch the Tianlang Pearl after Ye Jingtang realized something was wrong and threw it away.
But...
Ye Jingtang had never regarded Cheng Shilu as a trustworthy person. He stretched his hand forward a bit and used a leather wrist guard to cushion it. His hand moved with the bead, using a gentle force to reduce the inertia of the bead and steadily stopped it on the wrist guard.
Cheng Shilu, who had been ready to attack, suppressed his breath when he saw this. He reacted quickly and asked:
"Are you afraid that I'll throw a hidden weapon to attack you secretly, Master Ye?"
An ordinary person couldn't see anything strange about this reaction, but Ye Jingtang knew the "Tianhe Saber Technique". He looked coldly at Cheng Shilu:
"Your right leg was tensed up just now as if you were preparing to step forward. What did you mean by that? Were you afraid that I couldn't catch the bead and it would fall to the ground?"
Cheng Shilu didn't expect Ye Jingtang's insight to be so strong. Now that he was exposed, he didn't pretend anymore. He suddenly closed in, trying to snatch the bead.
Ye Jingtang had sensed the "killing intent" just now. This time, he didn't hold back anymore. He raised his right hand and threw the hidden weapon, whose details were unknown, at the wall. At the same time, he drew out his long spear and swept it towards Cheng Shilu's lower body.
Even if the bead was made of jade, it would surely shatter when it hit the wall.
Without thinking, Cheng Shilu pounced forward to catch the Tianlang Pearl.
This scene actually made Ye Jingtang stunned for a moment—if the bead was a hidden weapon, Cheng Shilu shouldn't care about the bead during the fight; but if it wasn't a hidden weapon, why did Cheng Shilu throw it to him?
Peng—
The long spear swept across Cheng Shilu's right leg, and he stumbled. But he still touched the Tianlang Pearl with the tip of his right finger, bouncing the bead that was flying towards the wall into the air.
"Ya—!"
Cheng Shilu used his shoulder to hit the spear shaft that Ye Jingtang had just retracted, pushing Ye Jingtang back two steps. Then he raised his hand to catch the falling Tianlang Pearl.
Seeing Cheng Shilu desperately trying to snatch the bead, Ye Jingtang realized that this thing was definitely not a poison. The moment he stabilized his stance, he held the spear with one hand and slashed horizontally at Cheng Shilu's legs. At the same time, he tore a piece of black cloth from his robe and placed it in his palm.
Bang—
With a dull sound, Cheng Shilu was swept and did a horizontal flip. His back fell towards the ground. His right hand was only a short distance away from the falling Tianlang Pearl. A hand swept over from above and took the bead away.
"He—"
Cheng Shilu's face was filled with rage. With the spear tip pointing at his throat, he still didn't stop. Risking getting a cut on his neck, he grabbed the spear tip with his bare hand and reached for Ye Jingtang's hand.
"Courting death!"
Ye Jingtang held the bead and took a step back. But his left hand's long spear was firmly held by Cheng Shilu, who wasn't afraid of death. Immediately, he stood in a horizontal stance, his robe suddenly tightened. With his right hand, he threw a powerful cannon punch from behind to the front, hitting Cheng Shilu's face.
Peng—
The boxing wind rose under the moonlight.
With a loud explosion, some fallen leaves and sand on the ground were instantly shaken away.
With a dull sound, Cheng Shilu's huge body immediately leaned backward. His feet left the ground, and he was like a heavy shell fired from a gun, flying three zhang away and crashing into the pillars of the house corridor and the back wall.
Ka cha—
Hong—
Cheng Shilu fell into the room and instantly bounced up. He raised his hands and retreated, trying to block the upcoming "Yellow Dragon Lying on the Path" or "Azure Dragon Offering Its Claws". But when he looked up, he found that the spearman wearing a hat in the courtyard didn't follow in but was examining his palm.
The black cloth fell from his hand, revealing several pieces of cracked half-round medicine shells. Some water traces quickly atomized and disappeared in the air.
"You!"
Cheng Shilu saw that the only remaining Tianlang Pearl in the world was destroyed, and his face was filled with rage. But immediately, his angry expression subsided.
The Tianlang Pearl had a special origin and was originally a scourge. It was only useful to him, so he was reluctant to destroy it. Someone helping him destroy the evidence could be considered as helping him cut off the source of the disaster.
And when the Tianlang Pearl shattered, nothing fell out. It was certain that the medicine inside had all stuck to Ye Silang's hand.
Even when he diluted the Burning Bone Hemp with water through the medicine shell, he could hardly bear the intense pain. Directly absorbing most of it like this would surely make the person die from the pain.
Once Ye Silang died, even if he didn't find the Minglong Diagram, he could still get the Black Lin Spear.
Thinking of this, Cheng Shilu stood up a bit straighter and sneered:
"Boy, how do you feel?"
Ye Jingtang threw a punch and paid attention to the round bead in his hand. But he felt that it was a piece of jade with high hardness. He didn't expect it to be very brittle. With a little force, it cracked.
The cloth couldn't hold the water at all. The transparent liquid covered his palm. Before he could throw away the cloth, it had already seeped into his skin. The medicinal power was penetrating into his bones and flesh, and he could clearly feel...
It was very comfortable.
Ye Jingtang felt that his right hand was heating up but also felt a coolness. It was like applying medicinal wine and Yulong Ointment. It nourished his skin, flesh, and bones. The pain and soreness from the fight disappeared in an instant. It was obviously an extremely excellent medicine.
Hearing "How do you feel?", Ye Jingtang sensed that something was wrong, but he wasn't sure what was wrong. He raised his eyes and asked:
"How do you feel?"
?
Cheng Shilu's sneer froze. He then remembered that he had just taken a heavy punch to the face. When the fist crushed the Tianlang Pearl, there must have been some medicine liquid seeping out from between his fingers.
His face had been hot and spicy painful just now, which was caused by the punch, and he hadn't paid attention to it.
When Ye Jingtang asked, Cheng Shilu felt the burning pain on his face intensify rapidly. His expression changed suddenly, and he quickly wiped his face.
Ye Jingtang saw this and quickly wiped his hands. And the medicinal power became stronger and stronger. Half of his body began to feel comfortable, just like being served in an extremely pleasurable way...
Saying that this was a poison, the only way it could be fatal was probably by making him die from pleasure...
Ye Jingtang didn't know what this thing was, so he got ready, preparing to snatch the antidote.
As a result, Cheng Shilu didn't seem to have the intention of taking out the antidote. The veins on his forehead bulged. It was as if he had been splashed with molten iron. He sat on the ground, gritted his teeth, endured the pain, stared fixedly at Ye Jingtang, and there was still a look of disbelief in his eyes:
"You... why are you okay..."
Why should I have something wrong?
Ye Jingtang was afraid that Cheng Shilu was pretending and playing tricks. He held the spear and looked at him warily, waiting to see if he would take out the antidote.
The burning pain on Cheng Shilu's face intensified rapidly. His skin twitched, and the disbelief in his eyes quickly turned into panic.
When the Burning Bone Hemp came into contact with the skin and flesh, it would make one feel as if their body was being burned by fire. The pain would become more and more intense and would only slowly subside after about an hour.
Even though he was used to the pain of his bones being burned, this time he had too much of it on his face. He would lose consciousness due to the intense pain in a short while.
Thinking of this, Cheng Shilu stumbled towards the inner room.
"You little thief!"
"Jiji ji!"
Luo Ning, who had been observing from a distance, sensed something was wrong and rushed over.
Luo Ning leaped and landed in front of them. Not knowing exactly what had happened, she wanted to grab Ye Jingtang's wrist to feel his pulse.
Ye Jingtang was afraid that Luo Ning would also be contaminated by this strange medicine liquid, so he only handed her his left hand:
"What is this thing?"
Luo Ning quickly grabbed Ye Jingtang's wrist and carefully felt his pulse: "The pulse is strong... There's nothing abnormal at all. It's impossible to be poisoned." She then turned to look at Cheng Shilu:
"What kind of medicine did you get poisoned by?"
Cheng Shilu endured for a while, but his thoughts were already confused. He could only hear a sharp ringing in his ears. He stumbled and fell into the room. He originally wanted to escape through the secret passage, but when he saw the pool of water, he instinctively pounced into it, trying to relieve the burning pain. As a result, he immediately let out a scream:
"Ah—"
The scream almost resounded throughout the entire Tiefo Ridge.
Luo Ning's face changed suddenly. She looked around and found the medicine shells on the ground. She fanned the air with her hand and carefully smelled it. As a result, her nose immediately felt a burning discomfort. She quickly stepped back and jumped away:
"It seems to be the Burning Bone Hemp from Beiliang. It can penetrate the skin and bones, and no one can bear the intense pain."
Ye Jingtang felt that he wasn't uncomfortable, so he was half-believing and half-doubting. He wanted to walk over to the medicine shells and smell them, but he was directly pulled back by Miss Luo.
Luo Ning was also puzzled as to why Ye Jingtang didn't have any reaction. But at this moment, she didn't dare to delay. She rushed to the well and cut the well rope with a sword, wanting to tie up Ye Jingtang to prevent him from being unable to bear the intense pain when the medicinal power took effect and committing suicide.
In the room, Cheng Shilu endured the pain of his body being burned and had completely gone crazy. He rushed out of the water, fell to the ground on the way, twisted and rolled, then got up again and crashed into the side wall.
Hong long—
A large hole was knocked out in the high wall, and he rushed towards the hundred-zhang stone cliff...