The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 288 The Current Situation of Yipintang
At this point, the leader seemed to have reached his limit, on the verge of death, and appeared to be waiting for that moment.

Unfortunately, Wu Chengyu still had questions to ask, and at the same time, he didn't want him to die so easily. Wu Chengyu reached out and injected a surge of internal energy into his body, following the energy path of the Nine Yin Manual's healing chapter.

However, this healing method requires two people to transfer their internal energy to each other in a continuous cycle. It requires maintaining this for at least a day, depending on the severity of the injury. Simply transferring a single stream of internal energy is like water without a source, or even like drinking poison to quench thirst.

The leader felt a warm current flowing through his body, and his body seemed to have regained its strength. His eyes were no longer unfocused, but his body was already riddled with holes after going through the life-and-death chain. Now, this internal energy flow made him feel pain all over his body.

The pain brought him back to his senses. He clearly knew what Wu Chengyu was doing and that he had no good intentions. Unfortunately, he was powerless to resist and could only glance at Wu Chengyu with eyes full of resentment and pleading, a bitter smile appearing on his face.

"Actually, I know that doing those things will definitely not end well. If you have any other questions, I will tell you everything. I just want to die quickly."

Why would you let your men eat people?

"This desolate place is deserted and the fertile fields are overgrown with weeds. Where can we possibly find so much grain?"

We bandits also have to raise horses, which costs a lot. We have to buy food from the wealthy and powerful in big cities and counties with real money, and it's very expensive. There's simply not enough food to feed everyone. If we don't let them eat human flesh, what else can they eat?
The bandits guarding the gate were all locals we recruited after we arrived here.

The people here are used to it; in their eyes, human flesh is something that can be eaten.

The people below were initially starving, and some even resorted to cannibalism. When I found out, I didn't stop them; every little bit of food saved was a good thing.

Later, more and more people started eating human flesh, and half of the bandits had started, so it was too late to stop them.

I don't even consider these guys human, but those who eat human flesh seem to be even more violent and inhuman. They are more useful when we go out to plunder, and people outside are more afraid of them. From then on, I made them eat human flesh.

But I never eat them. I want to be human. Even if I die at your hands, I will still be human. I don't want to be a demon. These guys who eat human flesh are no longer human. They will go to the eighteenth level of hell and never be reincarnated. Even if I die, I'm better off than them.

"Where are the children you captured? You said someone bought them, which is why you didn't eat them immediately. Is it really that simple?"

"That's true, but these children are bait we specifically found. When I heard that someone was plundering orphans everywhere, I immediately thought of Mengjiabao. They lost most of their manpower and definitely want to replenish their strength."

In this place, outsiders are not to be trusted; they are three parts human and seven parts ghosts. Therefore, the best source of soldiers is these orphans, who can be slowly trained and are more trustworthy.

So we thought we'd capture some children as bait to lure the people from Mengjiabao out, so we could find their trail and wipe them out in one fell swoop. These guys' heads are worth a lot of money.

Otherwise, despite my best efforts to dissuade them, these children would have been eaten as soon as they were captured. Those cannibals outside are insane; a dozen children wouldn't be enough for them to eat for three days.

At this point, Wu Chengyu was speechless. This leader had done all sorts of evil deeds, yet he still looked down on cannibals, even though he had instigated them. So, cannibalism really is the lowest line that humanity has to cross; once that line is crossed, one automatically becomes a demon.

"Tell me about Yipintang, how much of Beisu Qingfeng is left now?"

"There really aren't any left. After the Ghostly Melody Grass became extinct, Yipintang searched the entire Xia Kingdom but couldn't find a single one. The remaining ones were consumed year after year, leaving only a little bit, and the potency was greatly reduced over time. When I was ordered to infiltrate the Jin Kingdom, I stole this last bit. Later, I actually used this 'Sad Breeze' to kill a great hero. His martial arts were very high; I was no match for him at all. It's just a pity he had bad luck. According to those guys outside, his flesh was very tough and sometimes got stuck in his teeth."

But when it came to you, the Sorrowful Breeze had no effect. Now that I think about it, you didn't even try to absorb the antidote. Could it be that it really has completely lost its effectiveness?

"What is the current situation of Yipintang? How many experts does it still have? What level would someone like you be considered in it?"

Although they didn't actually fight, it was clear that the leader's martial arts skills were quite good, at least at the level of Ke Zhen'e. The Life and Death Chain clearly showed resistance from internal force after entering his body, indicating that he had a certain level of internal skill. However, it was quickly dispersed by Wu Chengyu's internal force.

However, this level of martial arts would probably only make someone a lackey in the First-Class Hall during the Tianlong era.

"There are hardly any experts in Yipintang now. I'm considered quite skilled. If I had a powerful backer, I wouldn't have been sent to this godforsaken place to associate with these demons."

I've heard from my seniors that the First-Class Hall used to be teeming with experts, but then its powerful backer suddenly disappeared, and the First-Class Hall gradually declined. Those experts either died or left the hall, and now it's not valued by the imperial court.

This powerful backer was naturally Li Qiushui. She died in the Lingjiu Palace of Tianshan, and Xuzhu buried her with Wu Xingyun, the Child Granny of Tianshan. The two entangled enemies continued to gaze at each other across their coffins every day, unable to find peace even in death.

But for the Western Xia, Li Qiushui simply vanished.

According to Jin Yong, Li Qiushui is based on a real person. She married the founding emperor of Western Xia as a concubine, and her son later became the second emperor of Western Xia. With her martial arts skills, Yipintang's backing was naturally extremely strong.

The arrogance of Yipintang is evident, so when its backer suddenly collapsed, Yipintang's days were bound to be difficult. After more than a hundred years of decline, it is already quite remarkable that Yipintang has survived.

"So, is that powerful figure surnamed Li, and is he a concubine in the palace?"

"How did you know? Well, you were able to compose the 'Sad Breeze' melody, so it must be related to that Consort Li."

Wu Chengyu didn't correct him. What could Li Qiushui have to do with him? It was just that his cheat code gave her an advantage.

"After the sudden disappearance of Consort Li, what arrangements did the Western Xia court make for her funeral?"

"I don't know much about it. It happened a hundred years ago. I only know that the royal family built a cenotaph for her and sealed off her palace, which later became a cold palace."

Wu Chengyu understood. There was a stone chamber in Li Qiushui's palace with the profound martial arts of the Xiaoyao Sect engraved on the walls. The Western Xia royal family, especially Li Qiushui's emperor son, could not possibly be unaware of this. Sealing it off was simply to preserve the secret.

These martial arts techniques are too profound; those with insufficient skill will feel dizzy just looking at them, but it's impossible that no one has been able to master them for a hundred years.

Therefore, when Wu Chengyu went to the Western Xia palace, although he had a clear goal, he also had to be wary of the experts who might appear in the Western Xia palace.

(End of this chapter)