Gao Wu insists on cultivating immortality.

Chapter 427 Undercurrent
The night air was already a bit chilly at the end of August.

Layers of clouds gathered in the night sky, and it looked like it was about to rain.

The vast city of Heishui was mostly asleep, with only the Brothel Hotel in the west of the city still open, where clusters of red light could be faintly seen.

The northern part of the city was quiet, with hardly any lights or candles in sight.

Even though the residents of this area are all wealthy and powerful, they are all used to going to bed early.

"It's about time, let's go."

As he spoke, Old Slant-Eye straightened his night clothes, checked the deerskin pouches on both sides of his belt, and inspected the longsword at his waist. After confirming that all his weapons were in good condition, he lightly jumped down from the tree.

Ma Qianli also checked his belongings before jumping down after Old Slant-Eye. His lightness skill was excellent, no less than Old Slant-Eye's.

It was precisely because of his excellent lightness skills that he was able to escape with his life while being pursued by cavalry.

Old Slant-Eye and Ma Qianli had already scouted the area, and the two of them followed the wall to the outside of the courtyard where Gao Wu lived.

Seeing that no one was around, Ma Qianli lightly leaped onto the wall and peered into the courtyard.

The main house was pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

Ma Qianli was the first to flip over the wall. Although he was good at light footwork, he slid down the wall, and with a place to use for leverage, he landed almost silently.

He did this all the time; it was second nature to him. He lifted his foot high and landed lightly, making his way to the bottom of the main room's window.

Through the paper window, he could faintly hear snoring coming from inside. Ma Qianli and Gao Laosi were very familiar with each other, and he knew it was the right person just by the snoring. He gestured to the old man with the squinty eyes behind him.

Old Man with the slanted eyes also made a gesture, and Ma Qianli understood immediately. He took out a bewitching incense from his pocket.

The fumes from burning medicinal spices can induce sleep quickly. The effect can even be described as overpowering.

It would be very easy for the two of them to kill Gao Wu together, but it would be difficult to take him away silently.

Ma Qianli skillfully took a piece of tinder from the bamboo tube and placed it into the exquisite snuff bottle. He gently blew on it, and the tinder ignited.

When working, Ma Qianli deliberately covered himself with his clothes to avoid making any light or noise.

When the intoxicating smoke slowly emerged, Ma Qianli moistened the window paper with his saliva, scratched a crack with his fingernail, and then slowly inserted the copper tube.

Gao Wu stood by the window, simulating snoring. He channeled his inner energy into the wall, which then reflected back, perfectly mimicking his deep sleep in bed.

In fact, with his cultivation level, killing Ma Qianli and Old Slant-Eye outside would be very easy for him.

However, since he had nothing better to do, Gao Wu wanted to see what Old Slant-Eye and his group were up to, and also test his own ability to use true qi.

I saw a copper pipe inserted through the gap in the window paper, followed by Ma Qianli blowing lightly outside.

Gao Wu could only see a faint wisp of smoke billowing forward. He found it somewhat amusing; this method of using smoke to induce sleep was truly classic.

However, this seemingly crude method is actually very effective.

Especially in the cold northwest border region, rooms are well insulated and relatively well-sealed.

Whether it's theft, womanizing, or murder, he's almost always successful. Gao Laosi is ruthless but also quite crude; he wouldn't use such methods himself. But he's seen Hu Qiniang use them.

While sedatives and date rape drugs may seem simple, they require sophisticated preparation and technical skill.

Although Gao Wu was confident that he was not afraid of the bewitching smoke, even if the Azure Dragon Divine Qi Curse could only exert a trace of its power, it should still be able to dispel the bewitching smoke, but why bother?

He naturally held his breath and pressed his hand on the copper pipe.

Having mastered all twelve meridians, his true qi level had reached that of a true second-rate master.

The true energy that bursts forth with a gentle palm strike has the force of over a thousand kilograms.

With a "whoosh," the copper pipe, subjected to force, shot backward like an arrow. The pipe, from which the pipe was hanging, tore through Ma Qianli's lower lip, shattered his jawbone and front teeth, and embedded itself deeply in his cervical spine along with the pipe.

Ma Qianli didn't feel any pain, but he felt a numbness in his mouth. He sensed something was wrong and tried to get up and back away, but his body wouldn't obey him and he fell over...

Old Squinty-Eye didn't see what happened from behind, but he did see the blood spurting from the back of Ma Qianli's neck and his split mouth.

With his extensive experience, he immediately knew that it was Gao Laosi who had forcefully struck the copper pipe, which in turn had seriously injured Ma Qianli.

This attack was incredibly powerful—truly terrifying! When did Gao Lao Si acquire such formidable internal energy? There must be other experts hiding in the room!

Old Squinty immediately made a judgment. He ignored Ma Qianli; this guy was clearly not going to make it, so it didn't matter even if he did.

With a flick of his wrists, he unleashed more than ten poisoned needles simultaneously toward the window. The black needles barely reflected light in the night, and with the power of his inner energy, their speed was comparable to that of arrows.

Amidst the sharp, hissing sounds of needles piercing the air, a cluster of poisoned needles had already pierced through the window paper.

It wasn't difficult for Gao Wu to dodge by standing to the side of the window, but he still casually drew his sword and twisted it, and a burst of sword light suddenly illuminated the dim bedroom.

The seventeen poisoned needles that shot in through the broken window were all shredded by Chun Jun Sword.

With a successful strike, Gao Wu immediately understood that although the Chun Jun sword was heavy, it was more than enough to deal with the old man's hidden weapons.

He has mastered the true qi but has never actually fought, so it's difficult to make an accurate assessment based solely on Gao Laosi's memory.

After a brief test, Gao Wu had a good idea of ​​what was going on. His mental strength was too powerful; even though it was restricted by the rules of this world, it was at least ten thousand times stronger than Old Slant-Eye's. With the aid of true qi, he could also release some of his mental strength.

Through the window, Gao Wu could pinpoint the location of the old man's squinty eyes using his six senses and sense even the slightest changes in his movements.

Gao Wu originally intended to break through the window with his sword, but then he thought that while breaking the window was easy, repairing it would be troublesome. He pushed open the window and nimbly climbed out.

Old Slant Eyes was retreating rapidly when he spotted Gao Wu's figure. Without hesitation, Old Slant Eyes unleashed a flurry of throwing knives with both hands.

Because of his long, slender hands and flexible fingers, he had been practicing the Heavenly Net Hand since childhood. His finger strength, palm strength, wrist strength, forearm strength, and upper arm strength were all strong. With the help of his true qi, the two-inch steel needles he could shoot could penetrate four layers of cowhide.

If even a steel needle as light as a feather has such power, then the old man with the slanted eyes can unleash a barrage of throwing knives, firing thirty-six knives in a row with both hands. The knives are linked together like a string of pearls, hence the name "Ball-Bead Throwing Knife".

The willow-leaf throwing knife weighs a full six ounces, but when propelled by true qi, it moves faster and changes more frequently than a flying needle.

The throwing knives were exceptionally sharp, their blades gleaming with a cold light. Streaks of cold light pierced the night sky, carrying a sharp whistle as they hurtled towards Gao Wu.

Gao Wu casually drew his sword, its clear, six-sided blade meeting the piercing cold light as it slashed repeatedly.

Each of his sword strikes landed precisely on the throwing knife, creating a series of sparks amidst the clanging sounds.

The rapid-fire throwing knives can actually have many variations: left-handed, right-handed, upward-spinning, and downward-spinning. But no matter how they change, a skilled martial artist can always deflect them with a swift sword strike.

Old man squinted at Gao Wu. Although the night was dark, he could see clearly that the man in blue opposite him was Gao Lao Si.

He was dressed smartly, wearing exquisite ankle boots, and the sword in his hand gleamed brightly, clearly a fine weapon.

These external changes are easy to understand, but the question is, how did Gao Laosi manage to break his rapid-fire flying knives with a sword?

Old Cross-Eyes was very confident in his throwing knives; even a second-rate expert would have a hard time catching them face-to-face.

He had known Gao Laosi for ten years, but suddenly found the man so unfamiliar that it chilled him to the bone.

Gao Wu could understand Old Cross-Eye very well. It was precisely because he understood Gao Lao Si that the other party found it increasingly difficult to accept such a huge contrast.

"Old squinty-eyed guy, is that all you've got?" Gao Wu sneered provocatively.

There was no need to waste words on such a minor character. However, the old man with the slanted eye displayed a rather ingenious technique in launching his hidden weapons, which piqued his interest.

Having mastered the Pure Yang Sword, Gao Wu's insight and understanding of martial arts were greatly enhanced.

Looking at the old man's hidden weapon techniques, he had already mastered 99% of the changes in force exerted by his fingers, palms, wrists, and arms.

The only problem is that this method requires the corresponding internal energy. Different internal energy circulation routes result in vastly different effects in stimulating internal energy.

Although Gao Wu possesses strong spiritual power, without the corresponding incantation, it's difficult for him to learn the opponent's internal energy circulation. However, such techniques are ultimately rudimentary; it doesn't matter if he can't learn the opponent's internal energy variations, as long as he can imitate six or seven tenths of it, that's enough.

Old Squinty-Eye also came to his senses. He hadn't intended to run away, but upon hearing this, he snorted coldly and threw out a series of hidden weapons.

The nickname "Six-Armed Old Ape" wasn't given lightly. The old squinty-eyed man had very long arms and exceptionally nimble fingers. He carried two deerskin pouches at his waist filled with various poisoned needles, iron beads, poisoned caltrops, and other hidden weapons.

As for the willow-leaf throwing knives clipped to his belt, they had already been thrown away in one go.

Gao Wu casually slashed with the Chun Jun sword, but because the old man's hidden weapon was too fast, his sword also followed suit, forming a continuous, shimmering sword wheel.

Poison needles, iron beads, and other hidden weapons landed on the sword wheel, sparking a few sparks before being spun away.

In less than ten breaths, the old man with the slanted eyes, who had been throwing hidden weapons, stopped, and both of his deerskin pouches were empty.

Gao Wu noticed the old man's embarrassment and kindly suggested, "Why don't you go pick up the hidden weapons on the ground..."

Old Slant Eyes calmed down. He realized that Gao Lao Si's martial arts were too strong, and he couldn't win if the fight continued.

He raised his hand and scattered a large amount of poison powder, then turned around and used his lightness skill to escape over the wall.

With a flash of green, Gao Wu was already beside Old Slant-Eye. He twirled his Chun Jun sword and struck Old Slant-Eye's cheek with the spine of the blade.

The seventeen-pound iron weapon was terrifying; a large amount of blood instantly burst from the old man's slanted face, and the enormous force of the blow knocked him unconscious. His body stiffened in mid-air and he fell straight to the ground...

When the old man with the squint opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dimly lit room. He tried to move, but his hands and feet were tightly bound.

A burly man, holding a leather whip, grinned maliciously at the old man with the slanted eye: "You thieves who roam the land, have you never experienced the severity of military law? Let's see how long you can hold out..."

Before the old man with the slanted eye could speak, the big man had already lashed him across the buttocks with a whip.

An indescribable, excruciating pain shot straight to Old Squinty's forehead; he felt as if his very soul had been ripped out of his body by the whip... He uncontrollably let out a piercing scream...

An hour later, Tie Mu saw the confession.

"The Sun-Shooting Bow, Ye Qingfeng; the Mountain-Splitting Swords, the Long River; the Twelve Holy Flame Messengers of the Holy Flame Sect..."

He frowned slightly as he looked at the list. Ye Qingfeng and Ma Changhe were both top-notch masters, which was fine, since they were just martial arts experts.

The truly formidable force is the Sacred Fire Sect. As the sacred religion of the Qiang people, it boasts numerous experts. The fact that the Sacred Fire Sect is involved clearly indicates that the Qiang people are preparing to attack Blackwater City…

He's just a nobody in the Blood-Clad Alliance; I don't know much about him. There must be many more powerful figures and forces hidden behind him!
Tie Mu had already sensed the tense atmosphere around Blackwater City and felt the undercurrents surging beneath the surface.

If things go wrong, not only will the Tie family be destroyed, but Blackwater City will also be swallowed up by the raging tide...

(End of this chapter)