Martial Arts: Starting with Upgrading the Dilapidated Temple

Chapter 152 Falling into the Trap

The northern edge of the Wan Du Sen Hai.

A grayish-yellow miasma swirled beneath the tree canopy, the air thick with the pungent smell of insect repellent and the stench of sweat mixed with fear.

The Mu family's search team lined up in a fan shape, numbering nearly a hundred people.

Each person had three specially made insect-repelling sachets hanging from their waists, and held a machete in their hand, the blade of which was coated with tung oil for preservation.

A guard at the Bone Forging Realm stopped and tapped the tree trunk covered in poisonous moss in front of him with the back of his knife.

After confirming that no venomous snakes had fallen, he took a step forward and turned back to shout at the top of his lungs.

"Second Master, the Blackwater Swamp is ahead. If we go any further, the miasma-avoiding pills won't be able to suppress the poisonous gas."

Mu Lao Er strode up from behind, carrying a heavy horse-slaying saber. His face was ashen, and he kicked a withered vine that was standing next to him.

"We have to search, even if we can't suppress it! The patriarch has given a death order: we must dig three feet into the ground and find that man in black!"

The guard, with a pained expression, pointed to the muddy puddles bubbling with green foam in front of him.

"Second Master, it's not that we brothers are afraid of death. Think about it, even if that man in black had three heads and six arms, would he dare to go deep into this forest? It's a forbidden area that even those at the Connecting Aperture Realm would avoid. If he were in there, he would have been devoured by the beasts long ago. Where would we search then? We'd be digging through the beast dung for his dark gold longsword?"

Several martial artists nearby nodded in agreement.

"That's right, Second Master. That kid must have hidden himself at the edge of the woods. He's probably already sneaked back to Yongzhou City to laugh at us."

39

Mu Lao Er stared wide-eyed, his saber slamming into the ground and creating a deep crater.

He knew it better than anyone else.

If they can't find the person, the Mu family will have to spend 100,000 taels of gold to fill the bottomless pit of Canglu Mountain.

If you can't come up with the money, the living god will be furious, and your entire clan will be buried with him.

But should we really go deeper into the forest?

Mu Lao Er glanced at the thick, murky green miasma deep inside, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

A few days ago, a dark golden pillar of light shot up from the depths of the forest, causing a riot of strange beasts.

Let alone their hundred or so people, even if you filled up the entire Mu family's coffers, it wouldn't be enough to fill the teeth of those three overlords.

"Spread out to the edge! Two people per group, and if you see anyone dressed in black with a dark gold longsword, fire a signal arrow! Don't even miss a rat hole!" In the end, Mu Lao Er still didn't dare to give the order to cross the Blackwater Swamp.

The hundred or so people breathed a sigh of relief and began to pretend to chop down bushes on the edge of the area.

The blade flashed, slicing branches and leaves into a frenzy.

A few clever ones specifically targeted the thickest poisonous vines, making a huge commotion to appear exceptionally diligent, as if afraid that Mu Lao Er wouldn't notice their loyalty.

"Search carefully!" the head guard shouted as he sprinkled insect repellent powder under the tree roots.

A poisonous spider the size of a palm suddenly darted out.

"Holy crap!" The head guard jumped three feet high in fright, chopped the spider into pieces with a swift stroke of his knife, and then stomped on it twice. If this damned place dares to go ten miles into, I'll change my surname to his!

Everyone was certain that the man in black, whom the Mu family considered their number one enemy, would never dare to step into the depths of the forest.

Meanwhile, four hundred miles away in the heart of the Ten Thousand Poison Forest.

Xu Hao, who had just rebuilt the Zezhou Deputy Nail Formation, sneezed while sitting on the edge of the deep pit.

He rubbed his nose and looked down at the Devouring Abyss Blade beside him, its light subdued.

Two days later.

Qingniu Ridge is located at the border of Yongzhou and Chenzhou.

Six mule carts were lined up in a long line on the mountain road.

The wheels creaked as they rolled over the gravel.

The vehicle was covered with an oilcloth, and the outline of a square wooden box could be vaguely seen under the oilcloth.

The people escorting the goods were from the Qin family.

The leader was Qin Dazhuang, a mid-stage Yi Jin realm cultivator, and a distant nephew of Qin Wang'an.

This man was broad and stout, riding a horse, holding half a sesame seed cake in his hand, chewing it constantly.

"Brother Dazhuang, isn't it too rushed to send this batch of goods through Yongzhou instead of the official road?" A young guard beside him wiped his sweat and asked in a low voice.

"Bullshit." Qin Dazhuang swallowed the sesame seed cake, patted the knife at his waist, and said, "The patriarch personally instructed that this batch of cold iron is more valuable than our lives. There are many checkpoints and spies on the official road. Although this side road is bumpy, it is three times faster than the official road. We should hurry up and transport it to Kushuigou to deliver it, lest things get complicated."

"But this place isn't far from the Mu family's outpost—"

"The Mu family?" Qin Dazhuang scoffed. "That old bastard Mu Chenyuan is shrewd. He wouldn't risk turning against the Qin family for a few cartloads of iron. The rules among the three families of Yongzhou have been in place for so many years. Whoever makes the first move is the public enemy of all of Yongzhou."

Before he could finish speaking...

Suddenly, more than a dozen crossbow bolts shot out from the bushes on both sides of the mountain path.

Swish swish—

The crossbow bolts were fast and accurate, specifically designed to shoot mules in the legs.

Six mules fell to the ground one after another, the cart tilted, and the wooden box slid off the tarpaulin, hitting the mountain road with a dull thud.

"An ambush!" Qin Dazhuang abruptly dismounted, drawing his sword. "Who's blind enough to dare touch the Qin family's convoy!"

More than thirty masked men dressed in black emerged from the bushes, without flags or markings.

But Qin Dazhuang was a seasoned veteran, and he immediately recognized the burly middle-aged man leading the group, who was carrying a horse-slaying saber.

The man at the head of the group was extremely burly, carrying a surprisingly heavy horse-slaying saber. He didn't speak, but strode forward, each step leaving white footprints on the gravel.

Qin Dazhuang stared at the man's figure, then looked at the style of the horse-slaying sword, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

"Mu Lao Er?!" Qin Dazhuang cursed, "Just because you're wearing a black cloth doesn't mean I won't recognize you! How many people have you killed with that knife in Yongzhou City? Do you think I'm blind?!"

Without wasting words, Mu Lao Er gripped the Zhanma Dao with both hands, his qi erupted, and the pressure of the peak Yi Jin Realm locked onto Qin Dazhuang without reservation.

"Are you crazy!" Qin Dazhuang's scalp tingled, and he raised his knife to defend himself.

clang!

Sparks flew.

Qin Dazhuang was so shocked that he staggered back three steps, his tiger's mouth split open.

Mu Lao Er's cultivation was a whole minor realm higher than his; the difference in their power was crystal clear.

"Mu Lao Er! You touched the Qin family's goods, the Qin family will never forgive you!" Qin Dazhuang roared.

Mu Lao Er's answer was the second cut.

This strike was even heavier and more ruthless.

Qin Dazhuang's blade was cleaved open, and he was thrown back, his back hitting the mule cart, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Without even glancing at him, Mu Lao Er used the back of his sword to knock away two Qin family guards who rushed at him, and ordered in a deep voice, "Move."

The officers of the Enforcement Hall worked swiftly, quickly loading several wooden crates onto a pre-prepared carriage.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the man in black, along with Han Tie, disappeared at the end of the mountain path on Qingniu Ridge.

Qin Dazhuang collapsed to the ground, his face covered in blood.

The young guard beside him asked tremblingly, "Brother Dazhuang—what should we do?"

"What do we do?" Qin Dazhuang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his eyes burning with rage. "Hurry back to the Qin family! The Mu family is asking for it!"

Yongzhou, the main residence of the Qin family, Kuye Hall.

After listening to Qin Dazhuang's report, Qin Wang'an held the teacup in his hand for three breaths.

On the fourth breath, the teacup shattered.

Are you sure it was Mu Jiaqian?

"I'd stake my head on it!" Qin Dazhuang slapped his thigh in frustration. "That physique, that horse-slaying sword—you won't find another like it in Yongzhou City!"

"6

"Mu Chenyuan." Qin Wang'an's triangular eyes narrowed into slits, but his voice was unusually calm. "Investigate. Investigate the Bitter Water Gully area as well."

Just as the steward was about to accept the order, a guard rushed in from outside and knelt down with a thud.

"Master! Something's happened at Bitterwater Ditch!"

Qin Wang'an's fingers froze in mid-air.

"The first two batches of cold iron—all gone. The six brothers guarding it are dead. Instructor Yi is dead too. The warehouse has been completely looted."

The Bitter Leaf Hall remained quiet for a full ten breaths.

Qin Wang'an stood up and walked to the window.

The sky outside the window was overcast, as if the weather was about to change.

He turned his head, his voice finally carrying a murderous intent.

"Issue the order. All Qin family martial artists at or above the Yi Jin realm must assemble immediately."

"Master, are we going to attack the Mu family?" the steward asked tentatively.

"Beat him! I'll skin Mu Lao Er alive!" Qin Wang'an kicked over the rosewood table in front of him.

The butler turned around to relay the order.

"stop."

Qin Wang'an suddenly spoke up.

He stood there, his chest heaving, but his hand instinctively reached for his sleeve.

Tucked inside was a crumpled piece of paper containing the news of the strange events in the Ten Thousand Poison Forest.

He suddenly felt that all of this had come at the perfect time.

The four events—the Wan Du Sen Hai uprising, the dissipation of miasma, the theft in Ku Shui Gou, and the Mu family's robbery—occurred in less than ten days, each closely linked to the other.

Even the people from the Observatory of Astronomy have vanished into thin air since the golden pillar of light appeared a few days ago, and haven't shown their faces since.

Qin Wang'an did not live his fifty-seven years in vain.

Something feels off!

"Don't rush to assemble," Qin Wang'an changed his mind, a glint of shrewdness flashing in his triangular eyes. "Send someone to the Gu family and invite Gu Xiangtian for tea."