Chapter 118: Deadly Pollen
Hua Yun was pissed. Of course, anyone would be pissed getting wet unexpectedly, especially inside a forest. Sure, he tailed Shen but he didn’t have any bad intention to receive such rude treatment.
Not to mention the pond had the blood of demonic beasts mixed in it. It made me feel the worst. He couldn’t believe someone like him was humiliated in this way but he had to endure as much as possible.
Shen turned towards his direction and asked arrogantly, “Well, now can you come out?”
Shen’s speech only made him infuriated. Hua Yun came out from his hiding position. “Haha, sure. I’m only here for a favor but before that...”
Hua Yun’s look changed, he zoomed at Shen and immediately sent a flurry of punches at his face.
Shen had already been vigilant from the start as he avoided two fists and grabbed Hua Yun’s right arm. Taking advantage of Hua Yun’s surprise and momentum, he threw Hua Yun on the pond.
Hua Yun lightly stepped on the water surface and jumped backward, getting a foothold on the other side of the pond!
Shen gawked at the smooth movement. As if he saw something unimaginable. It wasn’t something he couldn’t do but he certainly didn’t have the confidence to perform the same in his opponent’s condition.
Not only did he not have proper balance, but Shen also threw him with much greater force. From Shen’s estimation, he would at least sink half-way inside the pond. He couldn’t be sure of the technique Hua Yun used but he guessed it should be something similar to Yin-Yang laws, neutralizing strong force with gentleness.
“Err... do I know you?” Shen asked, a bit hesitant. Why would such a high-level talent—who should obviously appear at the mid-game—appear at the novice village? And even target him at that?
He had a guess, but he thought it was unlikely. After ‘conversing’ with Leng Yulan, it became obvious that she had zero companions so it couldn’t be her.
“Hoh, I thought you might’ve barely reached the Martial King Realm, to think you can even take me by surprise, this time I really underestimated you.” Hua Yun smiled generously and continued, “You don’t know me, but I do. I am here for the Black Luan you have. Don’t get the wrong idea. I am not planning to take the Luan. First let’s see if you can help.”
“Huh?” Shen had a face that spoke what nonsense this idiot was spouting.
“Come with me, I don’t want to waste any time if possible” Hua Yun didn’t even wait for Shen’s reply and leaped on a tree, heading towards the city.
“Great,” Shen clapped his hands and sat cross-legged. His injuries were still healing at a tremendous speed. The broken vessels connected but they had fractures all over. He carefully ran the pure energy of Life Qi through his broken vessels and tendons. As if the tendons came to life they twitched and twisted, becoming even stronger than before.
At this rate, he would be able to move without any discomfort in another hour. Fighting with his full capabilities would still be a stretch. That’s why if possible he didn’t wish for any company currently.
“You, Bastard!... I can see that you are in tatters, but it’s nothing dangerous. My matter is more urgent.” Obviously, Shen paid no heed to Hua Yun’s curse or urging. The fact that this guy didn’t get angry after what he did both times made him more suspicious. In the first place, who in his right would go to some stranger and ask for help? So calmly at that as if it was natural for Shen to help.
“I got your location from Lady Yu. If you follow me, you will find her there.”
This time around, it didn’t take even a second and Shen already got up. Patting Hua Yun’s shoulder, he asked seriously, “Yeah? You were saying something.”
Dumbfounded, Hua Yun took a moment to process what he should say, only then did he open his mouth, “Come, we’ll talk on the road.”
Shen was a bit curious at how he knew Yu Ruyan, he already guessed this ‘Lady Yu’ couldn’t be Yu He as the man in front of him was a Peak Martial King Realm expert. On top, Yu He’s position won’t get sky-high in one night.
Whoever Hua Yun was, he wasn’t a nobody to be able to use such profound techniques. And his age was plain for Shen to see. He didn’t lack talent, hard-work, comprehensive ability and most importantly, a powerful background.
Although Shen got stronger quickly, he sorely lacked mastery in techniques. However, he could display strong fighting prowess thanks to his Absolute Vision and Body. While he mainly focused on the sword, something he used in his last life, even now he couldn’t comprehend the first step of the basic sword techniques from his dreamscape.
From what Hua Yun said, last month, Hua Yun and his Master went to Giant Beasts Mountain to explore the source of pink pillar light. Their exploration started for better as they successfully found the source of light. However, there they encountered a strange flower. His Master, along with his beast, carefully approached the flower but before he reached the flower, he was poisoned and retreated hurriedly. They used the detoxification pills they had but all remained fruitless. His master suppressed the poison with his own power but his flying beast died not long ago. They want to go to Floating Cloud County where they have an alchemist but through the ground, it would take too long. Hence they came to Shen, who owned a mutated Black Luan, and conveniently learned Shen had medical knowledge too.
Although, it wasn’t something they looked up to, desperate time calls for desperate measures.
Shen digested the words carefully. There was one crucial point here. He asked casually but his ear sharp, “How do you guys know Ruyan?”
“Ah?” Hua Yun was a bit surprised as Shen didn’t use any honorifics to call Yu Ruyan and even called her by first name but he quickly got back his bearings. “I’m not exactly sure either, Master seems to be a close acquaintance of Lady Yu.”
“Acquaintance?” Shen sped up. Since they were an acquaintance Shen hurriedly took the shortcut for Yu Villa.
Originally if possible he didn’t want to have anything to do with them. However, it entirely changes if they are acquaintances of Yu Ruyan. He tried to guess who they were and figure out how he changed the future. The matter of pink pillar light didn’t go as unnoticed as he wanted it to. The majority of Greencloud Continent got excited by the birth of a new ‘divine treasure’. They sent their experts and younger generations for exploration and experience. This could inadvertently affect the other continents too.
“Did you see the flower? How did it look?” While maintaining his speed Shen asked the details of the flower from Hua Yun.
According to him, the flower grew upon a thin yellow blade of grass. But unlike the thin grass, the flower was three meters in diameter and it remained standing five-meters above the soil without straining the thin stem. It didn’t even waver in the strong wind at all.
Shen’s eye furrowed for a moment before he carefully asked, “Was there any plant beside the flower?”
“There was, but all of them dried up long ago.” Hua Yun didn’t even take the time to think and he immediately replied.
“What about the ground? Did the ground have patches of yellow or blue grass here and there?”
This time Hua Yun took a minute to recall. “I can’t be sure but there were a few patches of ordinary green grass. Not sure if that’s what you mean.”
“Aha,” Shen didn’t speak anymore as the Yu Villa came to their view.
An old man wearing a Yin-Yang robe meditated with great concentration. He had a tanned muscular appearance and thin moustache on his face. Overall he had a sharp and shrewd appearance. But more than his features, the pure white spots on his skin stuck out more.
With one glance anyone could discern they were unnatural and ominous.
Beside the old man stood Yu Ruyan and Mingyue Gelou. Yu Ruyan calmly looked at the old man but still didn’t approach him.
Shen spared one glance at the old man and hurriedly grabbed Yu Ruyan’s hand. He checked her body with the Qi of Absolute Strengthening Technique and asked worriedly, “Ruyan, did you touch that old man?”
Seeing Shen approaching her, Yu Ruyan wanted to hurry and ask him to see if he could heal her benefactor but she didn’t think he would ask such a misleading question. Dumbfounded, she replied half-consciously, “Ah, no... why?”
“I’m glad you didn’t. What about Gelou, did you...?” Shen was about to let out a sigh of relief but suddenly remembered Gelou beside her. Gelou had a gentle heart and if she saw someone in trouble, it wouldn’t be weird to find her giving them a helping hand.
Gelou just shook her head. By the time she noticed someone’s presence on the courtyard, the old man already entered deep meditation. Of course, such a powerful cultivator didn’t need anyone’s help even if they were poisoned.
At least, it was obvious this old man wasn’t a nobody as he emitted fierce but suppressed aura.
Shen carefully judged his aura and it was one step superior to Yu Ruyan. A bonafide Martial Emperor! After Zhu Lin, whose cultivation Shen couldn’t see through this old man had the highest level of Martial prowess. Yuyu had unimaginable strength at her disposal too but due to her treasures, Shen couldn’t see through her real strength.
Such a powerful expert was poisoned just by going near to a spiritual flower. One could imagine how dangerous the spiritual flower was.
Shen finally turned his attention to the old man. “This is?”
Yu Ruyan remained silent for a moment before sighing. “He is Nao Jin, Ling’s sworn elder brother. Aside from that, he is from the other continents, I don’t know much details but he has helped us many times in the past. But I didn’t see him many years before he left the world...”
Ling, Duanmu Ling was Yu Ruyan’s late husband also a major talent of Duanmu Clan. After his fall Duanmu Clan suffered a lot and Yu Ruyan had to lead the clan all on her own. Now his sworn brother presented himself in front of Shen, which the latter didn’t know what to feel. Of course, Shen didn’t feel threatened by the existence of the dead Duanmu Ling but it gave him a bit squishy feeling. He never felt he was good with relations but Duanmu Ling did him a great favor by taking in his family, which in turn allowed him to meet Yu Ruyan so fast and win over her so easily too.
“How did you meet him though?” Shen wondered loudly, wasn’t it too much to be a coincidence for him to just present himself suddenly saying he was poisoned by a spiritual flower?
Even Yu Ruyan started to frown at his laid back questions, couldn’t he see someone facing life and death crisis in front of him? So, she gave him a sharp reply, “We met after the Tournament when you were having a ‘good’ time with a certain person! Now, do you think you can do something?”
Cough! Cough!
As expected, Shen didn’t ask any questions. He respectfully nodded towards the old man, “Senior, if you don’t mind may I check your condition?”
The old man let out a sigh and nodded his head, his every action seemed to be etched with an air of helplessness.
Shen touched the old man’s back and circulated the Qi of Absolute Strengthening Technique. A minute later he retracted his hand. As expected, it was the same as he thought. He said helplessly, “This is not a normal poison...”
“Then?” Hua Yun, who remained silent till now, asked impatiently.
“It’s a parasitic poison. Calling it a poison might be a little weird as it doesn’t directly kill you. Strictly speaking if one is far from the spiritual flower, they won’t even be harmed in the short term. But if enough time passes they would still die. In other words, the senior became a living fertilizer for the spiritual flower.”
“That’s absurd! How can Master fall victim to a parasitic plant.” Hua Yun strongly objected. Shen could feel the strong respect he had for this old man. However, he only shook his head. It wasn’t a parasitic plant but there was no reason to correct him.
He smiled and gestured towards the old man, “I’m sure this senior already knows the reason.”
The old man finally opened his eyes. He didn’t give an aged vibe but rather like an energetic young man. “Haha, I can’t believe you saw through so many things with just a glance. It’s pollen. I never noticed it until just a while ago but it was already too late. Young man, do you have a remedy for it?”