Tumor Sword Immortal

Chapter 89 There's a hole here

Chapter 89 There's a hole here
Ancient cultivation methods separated martial arts from physical training. The fact that we now have a unified twelve-realm martial arts system is a testament to the wisdom of our predecessors.

Even for Pei Xia, it would be difficult to teach her elder brother any special methods that could lead to rapid progress, given this foundation.

As dawn approached, Xu Shangxin abandoned her plan to condense her inner energy.

Now that she has successfully transformed into a spirit, the effects of not sleeping for one night are not so significant.

However, considering that we will be working with the Lingxiao Sword Sect during the day, it's always better to minimize our energy expenditure.

The first to leave were the scouts from Tiequan Pass.

There's nothing we can do; the Lingxiao Sword Sect is accepting a commission, while we're accepting a military order—they're not the same thing.

Before leaving, Xie gazed at Pei Xia and Xu Shangxin for a long time.

Although they deliberately avoided the case of the Prime Minister's residence and the issue of being wanted yesterday, Xie knew perfectly well that their trip was to head north into Youzhou.

It won't be so easy for us to meet again in the future.

Xie clasped his hands in a deep fist salute and said solemnly to Xu Shangxin, "Take care!"

Then he looked directly at Pei Xia and said, "Take good care of her for me."

Pei Xia scratched his head.

Well, Mr. Xie isn't a bad person, it's just... right?

As soon as the people from Tiequan Pass left, the atmosphere by the stream immediately relaxed considerably.

Pei Xia is a wanted criminal, and the Lingxiao Sword Sect has taken money from the Northern Barbarians. They are not direct enemies, but they are somewhat at odds with the soldiers.

Wang Su greeted Pei Xia and his group, saying, "Gentlemen, let's go too."

We already agreed to go together yesterday.

There were seven people in total, and they introduced themselves to each other.

Wang Su is an elder in charge of the Lingxiao Sword Sect. The other two young people, a man and a woman, are his personal disciples. The man is named Jiao Liang and the woman is named Xu Yue. Both of them are at the Zhen Gang Realm.

When it came to Pei Xia's side, Pei Xia was naturally at the Zhen Gang Realm, while Xu Shangxin only had a piece of Gang Qi. He was too embarrassed to call himself Zhen Gang and only said that he was Hua You.

The pear was small, and since no one cared about it anyway, there was no need to mention it.

Even if a fifth-level cultivator's magic is not conducive to combat, they still possess the skills of alchemy and weapon crafting, which easily attract the covetousness of others.

Everything seems normal here, since everyone looks like a young person.

Li Tan's profound cultivation level was something Wang Su hadn't expected.

Actually, Senior Sister Li was at a disadvantage because of her natural beauty. In terms of age, she was in her thirties and not necessarily much younger than Wang Su.

In terms of position, Wang Su is an elder in charge of the Lingxiao Sword Sect, belonging to the middle level of a major sect.

The Zuoshan Sect is a small sect, but Li Tan is one of the top experts, belonging to the upper echelons of a small sect.

But Elder Wang didn't know that. He looked at Li Tan from left to right and felt that he was only in his twenties. Compared to him, Pei Xia and Xu Shangxin seemed to be sent out by a powerful force for training.

"Elder Wang?" Pei Xia called out, interrupting his thoughts.

Wang Su smiled and said, "Oh, okay, let's go then."

The forests of Mengshan are dense and the roads are difficult to travel. Previously, her older brother would clear the way with his sword, which was also a way for her to practice her skills.

Once they caught up with the Lingxiao Sword Sect, the road suddenly seemed easier to walk on.

There are fewer thorns, the road is smoother, and there are warnings about potholes and ditches.

This is a genuine local.

Wang Su noticed Pei Xia's surprise and said with a smile, "It was a map given by the Northern Barbarians. They are infiltrating southwards, and if something goes wrong, they can evacuate from Mengshan. This is a contingency plan they had in place. This time, when they went into the mountains to look for people, they provided a simple map."

Pei Xia nodded: "It won't be easy to find him in such a dense forest."

Even in the modern society before Pei Xia's time travel, finding someone to rescue in the vast mountains and forests was extremely difficult.

Wang Su also knew: "It was originally just a matter of luck. Several of my fellow disciples also went into the mountains with us. If none of us find it in the end, there's nothing we can do."

"Isn't there any special way to contact you?" Pei Xia asked.

Xu Yue, the female disciple beside him, answered softly, "Yes, there are. Northern barbarian spies will leave coded signals in the places they pass through to indicate the direction. These signals are shaped like fish, with the scales pointing in different directions. The people of Ling Kingdom cannot understand them."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Li's voice came from behind her: "Is it that fish?"

Everyone looked up and saw that there really was a fish pattern carved on the top of the tree trunk.

The three members of the Lingxiao Sword Sect were taken aback. Wang Su whispered, "Didn't we pass through here yesterday?"

Jiao Liang and Xu Yue: "...No, absolutely not."

It's not their fault; the carving was indeed a bit too high. If Lu Li hadn't been riding on Pei Xia's shoulders, she probably wouldn't have been able to see it.

Jiao Liang quickly climbed the tree, and after careful examination, he exclaimed, "It is indeed true!"

This greatly encouraged the three of them, master and apprentice.

Since the Lingxiao Sword Sect introduced this sect bounty, the distribution of cultivation resources to other sects has decreased, with more resources being allocated to missions.

If they can successfully bring the person back this time, it will be a significant gain for the three of them, master and disciples.

With a direction in mind, everyone quickened their pace, and about fifteen minutes later, they found the second fish pattern.

They walked until noon, and next to the latest fish-patterned mark, they noticed something unusual.

A finger fell to the ground.

It's probably been gnawed on by a rat or something; the finger is pitted and looks rather disgusting.

The group exchanged glances; there was no doubt that the Northern Barbarian spy had been injured in the vicinity.

“Be careful,” Wang Su drew his sword and whispered a warning, “There are some monsters in Mengshan that, although they are not intelligent, are just as cunning.”

As you delve deeper, the fish-patterned markings disappear.

But the bloodstains along the way gradually increased.

Finally, it extends all the way to a cave entrance.

The cave entrance was hidden by rocks, and outside the cave, in addition to trampled trees and plants, there were also the skeletons of many unidentified creatures.

Listen carefully, and you can faintly hear the panting of bellows coming from inside the cave; it is definitely not a sound that a human could make.

The seven people stood at the cave entrance, looking at each other in bewilderment.

Li Tan drew his sword, nudged an arm that had been gnawed away at the edge of the cave entrance, leaving little flesh, and looked up at them: "How about we just give up?"

Wang Su was clearly hesitant.

Entering a cave has always been a very dangerous activity, as the space inside is narrow and makes it difficult to maneuver.

Most monsters are physically strong, and it is easy for accidents to happen when they engage in close combat in a narrow space.

Most importantly, along the way they had found a lot of scattered limbs and flesh, so this person was most likely dead.

Even if they desperately retrieve a mutilated corpse, the Northern Barbarians might not recognize it.

When Wang Su was young, he often did such risky things. The higher the risk, the greater the reward. Otherwise, how could he, a rogue cultivator, have improved so quickly after joining the Lingxiao Sword Sect?

But now, he is no longer alone.

He turned to look at his two personal disciples and sighed, "Wrap up their arms and take them back; that will be enough to get by."

Pei Xia raised an eyebrow upon hearing this; Wang Su certainly knew how to advance and retreat, and was aware of the gravity of the situation.

That's good too. Heading home early is a good thing for Pei Xia.

The seven people packed their things and quickly left the cave entrance.

However, before they had gone a mile, a shrill scream suddenly came from the direction of the cave entrance.

Then came a hurried shout.

The cry was filled with sorrow and despair: "Help—help me—"

Could it be that the spy is still alive?

No, that's not right!

The voice still had strength, so even if there was an injury, it was only recently sustained.

Nearby, it suddenly appears at the cave entrance and even explores inside...