Zongwu: Aspiring to be the mastermind behind the scenes

Chapter 358 A Two-Pronged Approach, A Man on the Verge of Death

"what!"

Chu Liuxiang flashed and appeared in front of Hu Tiehua: "How is this possible! Let me see it!"

Hu Tiehua took out a medicine bottle.

The medicine bottle was sealed tightly and made of white porcelain; it was the same bottle that Shi Guanyin had taken out earlier.

When Chu Liuxiang opened the bottle, he found that there were no forty-eight antidotes inside, only eight or nine pills, pure white as jade, faintly emitting a five-colored hue.

Just by looking at them, you can tell that they are not the antidotes that Wuhua took out before.

Chu Liuxiang couldn't help but laugh at himself sadly: "Heh, I never thought that in the end, I would still be outsmarted by that woman. Shi Guanyin... you really are something else!"

He then said with shame, "Brother Li, Brother Lu, it was my fault for not being careful. I fell into her trap, and all my hard work has now been reduced to ashes... Alas!"

Lu Xiaofeng laughed and said, "Brother Chu, why do you say it was all burned? Aren't we standing here safely? If it weren't for Brother Chu's rescue, we would probably be in grave danger now. Besides, the situation was urgent at the time, so how could we have verified it? Even if we could, given Shi Guanyin's cunning and treacherous nature, how could we be sure it was the real antidote?"

Now that we are both free and each possess three antidotes, we are already incredibly fortunate. If we had two exotic horses, we could quickly return to the Central Plains, find renowned physicians, and prepare the antidotes according to their recipes, perhaps even completely curing the poison!

Bai Tianyu, however, couldn't stand these words and said, "How can we possibly have time for just three antidotes? Why don't we just go on another killing spree!"

Li Xunhuan hurriedly said, "Brother Bai's rescue of me is already a great favor. How could I dare to let Brother Bai take another risk?"

Lu Xiaofeng also said, "Li Tanhua is absolutely right. We have finally escaped our predicament. How can we deliberately run into that army again? Besides, we don't know where the Xingluo Sect is hiding. If we follow Shi Guanyin and end up running into their encirclement, wouldn't we be throwing our lives away?"

Bai Tianyu still refused.

In his mind, if you're going to save someone, you should save them completely. If you save someone but they're poisoned and won't live for many days, what kind of saving is that?
He was about to set off to storm the military camp when Li Xunhuan quickly stopped him.

Suddenly, those with nothing to do went to cause trouble, while those with something to do tried to settle it.

The two were locked in a stalemate.

At this moment, Chu Liuxiang spoke up: "Gentlemen, please don't argue. I have an idea. Why don't we proceed in two directions? One way, Li Tanhua and his companion should quickly return to the Central Plains to find renowned doctors to create an antidote, or even a cure."

The other route is for us to continue following Shi Guanyin, hoping to find another opportunity to steal the antidote. Even if we encounter the Star Luo Sect coming to kill Shi Guanyin, we'll still have to look for it then.

"If we can steal the antidote by proceeding along two routes, all the better. If not, it won't delay your return journey to find a renowned doctor. What do you say?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Tianyu nodded repeatedly: "This is a good idea, it doesn't interfere with either thing. Brother Li, rest assured, I will definitely obtain the antidote!"

As for the horses ridden by everyone, Bai Tianyu and his two companions were the best. After all, the organization founded by Ma Qunkong was called Wanmatang, which dealt in the trade of horses, so they naturally had good horses.

Giving it to Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng would allow them to return to the Central Plains in the shortest possible time!
That matter is settled; the next step is to deal with Wuhua.

Meeting Chu Liuxiang's gaze, Wuhua smiled and said, "Although Commander Chu didn't use my strategies, he still benefited from my help in rescuing Lu and Li so quickly. Now that things are done, are you going to be ungrateful and kill me?"

Chu Liuxiang sighed: "You are a beautiful woman, why did you become a thief? Very well, I will let you go."

He then untied the ropes binding Wuhua, freeing him.

"You go."

"No, no, no!"

Wuhua panicked immediately: "If you let me leave now, isn't that just sending me to my death?"

"Hehe, what makes you say that?"

"Xiang Shuai, don't joke with me. With Shi Guanyin's intelligence, how could she not figure out who leaked her acupoint sealing technique? She has experts under her command and a large army around her. If I were alone outside and she found out, she would probably catch up with me and take my life in an instant."

Chu Liuxiang sneered: "So what? This is your problem, not mine. We've already given you your freedom, what? You expect us to protect you?"

"That...is not necessarily a bad thing!"

"Hmph! You were once one of the Seven Wonderful Monks, how can you be so shameless?"

"As the ancients said, 'When the granaries are full, people know etiquette.' If we can't even control things, why would we care about those things? Do you expect me to disregard life and death to care about covering my face?"

As Wu Hua spoke, he looked at Lu Xiaofeng and the other man: "You two were only able to gain your freedom with my help, so why are you remaining silent now?"

Lu Xiaofeng said, "Our lives were saved by you all, how dare we speak so casually?"

Bai Tianyu said, "I neither arrested you nor released you, so why don't I have the right to dispose of you?"

After going around in circles, it was ultimately up to Chu Liuxiang to make the decision.

Wuhua swore, "Master Xiang, if I receive your help today, I vow never to enter the Ming Kingdom again and never to appear before you once more. Please help me, Master Xiang!"

Chu Liuxiang sighed and said, "Very well, I'll give you another horse. That's more than enough, so don't say anything more."

"Thank you!"

The horses that Chu Liuxiang and his two companions rode to arrive were not as fine as Bai Tianyu and his companions, but they were still top-quality horses with a trace of exotic blood.

If you run fast enough, you can escape Shi Guanyin's pursuit.

At this point, the group split into three groups.

Li Xunhuan and Lu Xiaofeng mounted their fast horses and galloped towards the Central Plains.

Wu Hua also galloped wildly on his horse.

He vowed never to enter the Ming Dynasty, and he did not know which country he would go to.

Finally, Chu Liuxiang and his group continued to follow the army of the Guizi Kingdom, trying to obtain the antidote.

But this is a really difficult situation.

Since Shi Guanyin used another kind of pill to disguise the antidote, she was naturally aware of this matter and had made preparations in advance, deliberately setting a trap for everyone to take the bait.

But the people weren't stupid.

It is worth noting that during this period, Liu Xi and others from the Eastern Depot rode away from the army.

How could someone who could rise to a high position in the Eastern Depot be a fool?
The prison cart holding Lu Xiaofeng and his companion was handed over to them by the Xingluo Sect, but it secretly contained the Benlei Sword.

The one who did the dirty work was undoubtedly the Star Luo Cult.

And their purpose in doing so is not hard to guess.

Once Liu Xi realized this, he naturally couldn't stay to help Shi Guanyin fight against the Xingluo Sect.

Although there was an agreement between the two parties, Shi Guanyin has already fulfilled the part of the agreement that she promised.

But the Eastern Depot failed to do so.

If the agreement is torn up now, only Shi Guanyin will suffer a loss; the Eastern Depot will not care.

At this juncture, choosing to flee is perfectly normal.

But Shi Guanyin did not escape.

Firstly, she has enough confidence in her own abilities.

Secondly, she is the target of the Star Luo Sect. Even if she tries to escape, where can she escape to in this vast Western Region?
Now that I have skilled men under my command and a large army around me, it's better than being alone against the Star Luo Sect.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

On a sand dune, Ma Qunkong asked, "Brother Chu, the army of Guizi has been breaking camp for half a day. Why haven't we set off to pursue them yet?"

Chu Liuxiang: "Brother Ma, have you forgotten that the Xingluo Sect is secretly watching Shi Guanyin, wanting to get rid of her? Right now, the army of the Guizi Kingdom is only a day or two away from our territory. If the Xingluo Sect wants to make a move, it will probably be within a day or two. If we follow closely, we don't know when we will be surrounded by the Xingluo Sect."

Upon hearing the mention of the Star Luo Sect, Ma Qun Kong fell silent, involuntarily recalling the overwhelming military force he had faced several months prior.

Even with Bai Tianyu's strength, he could only flee in the face of that terrifying army, let alone him. Ji Bingyan said, "The Star Luo Sect's three thousand Rakshasa Army is world-renowned. Who in the world doesn't know it? If that army were to take action, it would be easy to deal with Shi Guanyin and the three thousand cavalry."

However, since the Star Luo Sect intends to kill Shi Guanyin through Lu Xiaofeng, they certainly don't want to expose themselves. So, how can they deal with this large army?

Bai Tianyu's gaze was deep: "The Star Luo Sect is ambitious and wants to unify the Western Regions and become its king. But the more ambitious they are, the more they should be careful about their reputation before they actually take action, to prevent the various forces in the Western Regions from uniting to deal with them."

Months ago, after the Star Luo Sect annexed the Demonic Sect, it sent troops to conquer various places. At that time, all the forces in the Western Regions were in a state of fear, and messengers were traveling back and forth between them with great frequency, showing signs of forming an alliance.

However, not long after, the Star Luo Sect ceased its expansion, merely occupying all the oases near the Central Plains. The various forces in the Western Regions felt no threat, and this alliance was tacitly dropped.

Chu Liuxiang sighed: "Born in hardship, die in comfort. With the situation in the Western Regions like this, it's no wonder that the Star Luo Sect is becoming increasingly powerful. I traveled from the Central Plains through the territory of the Star Luo Sect and saw that the land was vast and sparsely populated, so everywhere there were people arranged by the Star Luo Sect for construction and production."

It's likely that the Star Luo Sect realized this vast territory was undeveloped and suffered from severe logistical deficiencies, hence their halt to expansion. Once that land is cultivated into farmland, planted, and harvested, the Star Luo Sect will resume its operations!

People discussed the matter with varying degrees of emotion.

Bai Tianyu and Ma Qunkong were victims of the Star Luo Sect's expansion and harbored resentment.

Chu Liuxiang and the others were simply expressing their feelings.

Just then, everyone felt a tremor beneath their feet, and the entire sand dune began to shake.

"This……"

"No way……"

"I've heard that when thousands of troops move together, the earth trembles. Could it be that the Star Luo Sect has truly mobilized a large army to surround and kill us?"

Everyone looked at each other, completely bewildered.

Bai Tianyu drew his precious sword from his waist, a look of excitement on his face. But in that instant, he saw the reflection of his younger brother Bai Tianyong and the faces of his family reflected on the blade.

After a moment, he put the precious sword away again.

Ma Qunkong looked terrified.

Chu Liuxiang and his two companions were mostly shocked.

Aside from that, there were no other emotions.

Although Chu Liuxiang had a reputation for being a busybody in the martial arts world, he was mostly involved in things by force rather than actively getting involved like Lu Xiaofeng.

Chu Liuxiang often ignores matters that don't concern him.

The two sides currently at war have nothing to do with the Star Luo Sect, and Shi Guanyin is his enemy. Why would he meddle in this mess?

At most, they would only pay slight attention to the antidote in Shi Guanyin's hand.

Half an hour later.

Everything is back to normal.

Everyone looked at each other.

"It stopped after only half an hour?"

"Even the Star Luo Sect wouldn't be able to annihilate the army of the Gui Zi Kingdom within half an hour, would it? Besides, Shi Guanyin is among the army!"

"No matter what he does, we'll know the result as soon as we go to the scene and see for ourselves, won't we?"

"Wait a minute, let's wait until the Star Luo Sect leaves!"

After waiting for another half hour, the group finally set off and soon arrived at a battlefield.

The desert sands have buried many bodies.

But as far as the eye could see, blood was still everywhere, mingling with the yellow sand and forming clumps.

"Three thousand cavalrymen... not a single one is left, they are all dead!"

"The Star Luo Sect has such ruthless methods!"

Many notorious bandits and outlaws in the martial arts world have killed hundreds of people with a single word and slaughtered entire villages with a single sentence.

However, most of them are simply exaggerating their own achievements.

The deaths of hundreds or thousands of people are extremely rare in the martial arts world.

Even on the battlefields where two armies clash, such horrific scenes are often only seen in battles between major powers.

Even when small countries fight each other, the intensity of the conflict is rarely this high.

Although everyone present was a seasoned veteran, they had never seen such a tragic scene before. They stood there dumbfounded for a long time before they could react.

They remained silent, searching for the Stone Guanyin amidst thousands of corpses and yellow sand.

Shi Guanyin's clothing was quite different from that of ordinary soldiers, and Chu Liuxiang quickly found her.

Her hair was completely white, and her once youthful face now bore the marks of time, with wrinkles appearing at the corners of her eyes.

The Heavenly Martial Nerve is extremely mysterious and can slow down aging, which is why the Stone Guanyin appears as a young girl.

However, these effects naturally cease once the system stops operating.

What is revealed at this moment is the true appearance of Stone Guanyin.

There was a bloody hole in her throat, which appeared to be the cause of her death.

She held something in her hand, and Chu Liuxiang took it. It turned out to be a medicine bottle. When he opened it, he found that it contained forty-eight antidotes.

"This……"

Chu Liuxiang was momentarily at a loss for words.

He could imagine that, before she died, Shi Guanyin would suddenly take out the bottle containing the antidote, hold it tightly in her hand, and wait for someone to come and take it away.

And this person is undoubtedly him!

It is said that when a man is about to die, his words are good.

After all the events, he thought he had long since given up on Shi Guanyin and that the two were just enemies.

But in that instant, he suddenly remembered the entanglement he had with her when she was disguised as a princess.

I felt a little sentimental.

Human beings are indeed unpredictable.

"It looks like a spiked weapon..."

Bai Tianyu walked over and said, "The Black Scorpion King, one of the three kings of the Star Luo Sect, uses a black whip as his weapon. The whip has spikes at the end, which look just like a scorpion's tail."

"Big brother!"

Bai Tianyong also came over and said, "A large number of horse hooves have been found around here. I estimate that the number should not exceed one thousand."

"A thousand soldiers? Yet they annihilated three thousand cavalry and the Stone Guanyin in such a short time! Such speed, simply..."

As Bai Tianyu spoke, his expression changed slightly: "...like the wind..."

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that a band of bandits has recently appeared in the desert. They are said to be as fast as the wind, and no one can catch them. They are only known by their existence and are called... Grey Wind Gods!"

(End of this chapter)