Chapter 199: Eastern Heretic and Western Venom Enter the Ancient Tomb
His chest was filled with the fragrance of flowers and the fresh scent of plants. Looking up, the sky was full of countless twinkling stars.
Li Mochou adjusted her skirt and walked to Zhou Yan, who was on guard.
“How is it inside?” Zhou Yan asked.
“Quite a few poisonous snakes have gotten in. After Ouyang Feng and the others retreat, it will take some effort to get rid of them.”
“What about Little Dragon Girl?”
“She’s afraid of snakes, but she’s perfectly safe.”
Zhou Yan smiled, thinking that Little Dragon Girl was probably inside the stone coffin.
Li Mochou pointed towards the tomb entrance and said, “There’s a round stone over there. Grab the round stone and pull hard. The two large stones above the tomb door will slowly descend. These two Blocking Dragon Stones weigh over ten thousand jin, and once they fall, they can never be raised again. If you hadn’t arrived in time, Master would have dropped the ‘Blocking Dragon Stones,’ and my Junior Sister and I would never have seen the light of day again.”
Zhou Yan glanced in the direction Li Mochou was pointing and said, “That won’t happen.”
“It’s a pity my cultivation is still shallow. Otherwise, with the Two Swords Combine, perhaps I could have repelled the thieves long ago.”
Zhou Yan chuckled, “You fought dozens of moves with the Western Venom, which is already quite good.”
“What if Ouyang Feng attacks forcefully?”
“Ouyang Feng is a very suspicious person. As long as Elder Hong arrives, there won’t be a problem. The only troublesome thing now is that we can’t completely stop the snakes and insects from entering.”
“If we can block Ouyang Feng, it’s acceptable to let some snakes and insects in. After all, we have detoxification pills. After this is over, we’ll buy more snake and insect repellent powder.”
“Mm!”
“I’ll make snake soup for you later.”
“Wonderful.”
Li Mochou smiled faintly.
“I’m going back to work.”
“I’ll clean the ground.”
Li Mochou lit a lamp. The flickering light spread from the narrow tomb passage in both directions. She picked up a large snake, warned Zhou Yan to be careful, and then gracefully departed.
Zhou Yan used the Whirlwind Sweeping Leaves Leg to sweep the dead snakes on the ground out of the tomb entrance. After finishing these tasks, he leaned against the stone wall, mentally integrating the cultivation techniques from the Tomb Lightness Skill, Hengshan Five Gods Sword, and Acupoint Sealing Secret Manual.
…
Stars shifted and dawn broke, mist rose in the dense forests and deep mountains.
Below Zhongnan Mountain, a figure in green robes moved gracefully.
The Autumn Sunlight fell upon the approaching person, revealing a handsome and refined demeanor, as if divine. Such bearing could only belong to the Eastern Heretic, Huang Yaoshi.
Huang Yaoshi’s reason for coming to Zhongnan Mountain was none other than to find Huang Rong.
In the past, on Peach Blossom Island, Huang Rong, bored after spending a few days with Zhou Botong, took the opportunity of Huang Yaoshi studying the Wumu’s Military Writings and formations to leave the island again.
After Huang Yaoshi finished studying the Wumu’s Military Writings, Huang Rong had already been gone for many days. He doted on his daughter to an extreme. After reading the Wumu’s Military Writings, he also had the thought of going to Lin’an to pay respects to Yue Fei.
Therefore, he followed Huang Rong from Peach Blossom Island to the memorial tomb of Yue Fei in Lin’an Prefecture.
Huang Yaoshi did not go to Guiyun Manor, knowing that Huang Rong would cause trouble for Hou Tonghai, and headed straight for Kaifeng Prefecture.
With his elusive lightness skill, he could enter and exit the Imperial Palace as if strolling through his own courtyard. As a result, he easily discovered that Ouyang Feng and his nephew, as well as Sha Tongtian, had all gone to Zhongnan Mountain.
Huang Yaoshi surmised that as long as Huang Rong was tracking Hou Tonghai, she would definitely head north. Thinking this, he wasted no time and went straight to Zhongnan Mountain.
Truly, “even the wisest can err.” If Huang Rong had not heard about the Heroes’ Banquet at Taihu Lake, she would have gone to Kaifeng Prefecture and followed Hou Tonghai and the others.
However, the “Heroes’ Banquet” organized by Huo Du to invite heroes from all over the world caused Huang Yaoshi and Huang Rong to go in opposite directions.
…
The clear water reveals the stones, and the deep forest echoes with birdsong.
Huang Yaoshi walked leisurely, pondering the purpose of Ouyang Feng and the others’ visit to Zhongnan Mountain, and sighed that old friends had long since departed.
Suddenly, Huang Yaoshi’s figure flickered and he disappeared into the forest.
What came into Huang Yaoshi’s sight were traps set by Zhou Yan and triggered by Ouyang Feng’s group. There were still traces of brown blood on the sharpened half-bamboo stalks.
Strange, could it be that the Old Venomous and his group were tricked? Huang Yaoshi was curious and followed the wild path. This detour led him away from his original route to the Chongyang Palace on Zhongnan Mountain, and directly around towards the Ancient Tomb.
In the deep mountains and dense forests, Huang Yaoshi traveled several li and leaped onto a tree with lush branches to observe from above. Suddenly, his pupils contracted. In the distance, a white figure occasionally flew above the tree crowns, then disappeared into the forest, sprinting all the way to the valley in the distance.
It was the Old Venomous. Huang Yaoshi descended silently and moved towards the valley.
…
The valley was covered in deep shade, and the light of flowers shimmered.
Ouyang Feng found a spacious area. He first caught a wild rabbit, then skinned it and chopped the rabbit meat into pieces with a knife. He mixed in some specially made pills and then scattered the chopped meat.
Snakes and insects in the valley, sensing the smell of medicine and blood, would flock over.
Ouyang Feng’s figure flickered, and he landed by the stream to wash his hands and face. As he was about to get up, he saw something being swept along by the stream. Upon closer inspection, it was a huge rat.
In just a moment, one after another, rats and pit vipers floated by with the current.
As the stream flowed, more and more snakes and insects appeared. Suddenly, Ouyang Feng’s arm shot out, and he grabbed a tiger-striped neck snake with its tail missing an inch.
The snake’s tail had been cut off by a sharp sword. As Ouyang Feng muttered to himself, a flash of inspiration struck him.
He looked up in the direction of the Ancient Tomb and muttered, “Could there be an underground river in that Ancient Tomb that leads directly to the valley? This snake must have come from the Ancient Tomb’s underground river.”
Ouyang Ke was overjoyed and used his Instant Thousand Li lightness skill, his figure soaring like a large bird.
Moments later, the Autumn Sunlight suddenly moved, and Huang Yaoshi landed. After a brief pause, he followed Ouyang Feng.
…
The sunlight, like a curtain at the cave entrance, was broken open, and a figure solidified.
“Is this the underground river that leads directly to the Ancient Tomb?” Ouyang Feng waded forward. After about ten steps, the water reached his neck. He was brave and skilled, and continued to move forward holding his breath. Sha Tongtian and Hou Tonghai were no match for him, so how could he possibly care about an underground river?
Moments later, the stream water submerged him completely. Ouyang Feng walked steadily forward from the bottom of the water, step by step.
His green robes flickered as he entered the cave. Huang Yaoshi landed and observed for a moment, saying, “The Old Venomous has entered the underground river?”
“The Western Venom has entered the underground river, so why shouldn’t I?” Huang Yaoshi had a smile on his face, like a mantis stalking a cicada, with a oriole behind. He cared even less about the underground river before him than Ouyang Feng did.
The Eastern Heretic followed closely behind the Western Venom, stepping into the river.
…
With a splash, Ouyang Feng emerged from the underground river.
After a rustling sound, a faint light appeared.
Ouyang Feng took out a tinder from his oilcloth and lit it. In the light, he saw a deep, upward-extending passage.
He smiled grimly, “Kid, you didn’t expect this, did you?”
Ouyang Feng stepped forward.
At the end of the passage was a smooth stone room. Ouyang Feng used his tinder to search for a mechanism to open the stone room. When he looked up at the ceiling, he saw that it was covered with dense inscriptions. In the far right were four large characters: “Nine Yin Manual.”
Ouyang Feng shook his head, water dripping from his un-dried hair. They were the four characters he had dreamed of: “Nine Yin Manual.”
He examined the text closely and saw inscriptions of various cultivation techniques such as “Soul Shifting Technique,” “Acupoint Sealing Secret,” “Snake Movement Fox Flip,” “Yijin Forging Bone Chapter,” “Great Demon Subduing Fist,” and “White Python Whip Technique.” The text in the “Yijin Forging Bone Chapter” was ancient and profound.
“It really is the Nine Yin Manual, ahaha! I spent so much effort back then to get the manual, and I was even thwarted by the supposedly dead Wang Chongyang. Now I get it effortlessly. It’s fate, it’s fate.”
“Who!”
Suddenly, Ouyang Feng extinguished the tinder and lunged towards the outside of the stone room, using his palms and fingers against the colliding figure. His palms struck like Falling Flowers in a Riot of Color, and his fingers brushed like orchids in bloom, each move sharp and elegant.
Ouyang Feng parried and countered twice, his steps spinning. He suddenly retreated to the inside of the stone room.
“Is that Brother Yao?”
Ouyang Feng did not receive the expected reply. In the darkness, a voice that was crying and laughing, seemingly mad, rang out, “A-Heng, I’ve finally found the Nine Yin Manual. Are you watching over me?”
Ouyang Feng quickly pondered. Huang Yaoshi’s emotions were sorrowful, making him prone to distraction. Should he seize the opportunity to strike a fatal blow? Forget it, Huang Yaoshi is vigilant, how could he not be on guard? Let’s wait and see what he has to say.
After murmuring for a long time, Huang Yaoshi stopped speaking. A soft light bloomed from his palm, illuminating a radius of about ten feet. Ouyang Feng looked and saw a rare luminous pearl.
Under the light, Huang Yaoshi first looked around, then at the ceiling. Upon seeing the four characters “Nine Yin Manual,” his gaze lingered for a moment before returning to Ouyang Feng.
“Brother Feng, long time no see.”
Ouyang Feng laughed heartily, “Indeed. We both discovered the Nine Yin Manual at the same time. How should we handle it?”
“Naturally, each remembers their own part.”
Ouyang Feng stared at Huang Yaoshi with a sinister expression, thinking that since Huang Yaoshi had the luminous pearl, he could see clearly. His memory might not be as good as Huang Yaoshi’s. If Huang Yaoshi remembered the manual’s martial arts before him and then destroyed it, who in the world would be his match in the future?
“Does Brother Feng have any objections?”
“Of course not. May I borrow Brother Yao’s luminous pearl to take a look?”
Huang Yaoshi thought that Ouyang Feng was ruthless and cruel, and it was entirely possible that he would suddenly resort to treachery for the Nine Yin Manual. He had to be careful. He shifted the luminous pearl to his left hand, secretly circulated his internal energy, and the Finger Flicking Divine Skill was ready to be unleashed.
“Good!”
Huang Yaoshi was on guard. Fine, let’s remember the manual first. Ouyang Feng watched Huang Yaoshi’s movements and replied, “Thank you, Brother Yao.”
“Why should we be so polite between us?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Ouyang Feng leaned towards Huang Yaoshi, but not too close. Both of them unceremoniously chose to memorize the “Yijin Forging Bone Chapter.”
In this forced memorization, Ouyang Feng completely forgot the passage of time.
Outside the Ancient Tomb, the sun began to set, and dusk gathered.
…
“It’s been a whole day and the opponents haven’t attacked,” Zhou Yan said to himself at the tomb entrance, looking at the campfire flickering in the depths of the forest. “Could Ouyang Feng be away catching snakes and not in the forest?”
Thinking this, his figure flickered and he disappeared into the barren hills to the left, circling around towards the depths of the woods from the side.
It was true that Zhou Yan and Li Mochou had helped Hong Qigong, but he was not someone who would place all his hopes on the Beggars’ Sect Gang Leader.
If Ouyang Feng were not present, how could he miss the opportunity for a sneak attack?
A fishy, medicinal scent wafted through the air.
Zhou Yan infiltrated the forest, his sense of smell telling him that the campfire must have had herbs added to it specifically for repelling poisonous insects.
He moved like a winding snake, and when he got within five or six zhang, he gathered his energy and leaped onto a tree with lush branches, looking down from above with a clear view.
There were many campfires, large and small. Ouyang Ke, Ni Mo Xing, and others were all there, but the Western Venom, Ouyang Feng, was nowhere to be seen.
He chuckled in a low voice.
