The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

At dawn in the Blackwater Swamp, there is no sunrise, no birdsong, no rooster crows; only grayish-white mist clings to the black water, silently churning.

Ye Sheng boiled the last few black knot grasses into a thick medicinal juice, pried open Ye Kai's mouth, and fed it to him little by little.

After the medicine was taken into his stomach, Ye Kai's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and the abnormal flush on his face subsided somewhat.

But this is only a temporary suppression, a case of drinking poison to quench thirst.

Ye Sheng knew that the Yin energy in his younger brother's body was like a volcano about to erupt, and these ordinary herbs alone could not cure it.

He had to make the trip to the Ghost Pool in the Chaotic Bone Forest to see the old man from the Ghost Market. Regardless of the old man's purpose or whether he was trustworthy, he had to go and take the gamble.

Ye Sheng carefully secured Ye Kai to his back with vines, looked up at the sky to get a general idea of ​​the direction, and then stepped into the depths of the vast swamp.

The journey to the Chaotic Bone Forest is long and arduous. Not to mention the dangers of the swamp itself, Zhao Hu and the Blood Pact Merchant Guild's pursuers could appear at any moment.

Therefore, as soon as he set off, Ye Sheng maximized his talent perception of the [Scavenging] skill.

Despite being in dire straits, Ye Sheng was fortunate that once he mastered the skill of scavenging, he could not only sense spiritual essence, but also become extremely sensitive to any unusual aura in his surroundings.

For example, the lingering smell of blood in the wind, the footprints on the soil that do not belong to swamp creatures, or even a broken, dead branch that should not be there, cannot escape his perception.

Along the way, Ye Sheng did not travel in a straight line, but chose an extremely winding and difficult route. He tried his best to avoid open and flat bodies of water, and traveled through dense reeds and twisted dead trees.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the Bewitching Ferry, there is an exit.

A disheveled figure emerged from the thick fog, then staggered and collapsed to his knees, coughing violently.

It was that man in the silver mask.

At this moment, his black robe was tattered and torn, and his mask was cracked, revealing a pale and sinister face underneath.

His left arm was twisted at an odd angle, clearly broken.

"Cough cough... Damn it... That damned beast!"

The silver-masked man cursed, then spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with black smoke, his eyes filled with venom as he looked at the thick fog behind him.

Not long ago, he paid a considerable price to get rid of the group of awakened "evil spirits" in the Bewitching Ferry.

But the silver-masked man did not linger. Instead, he struggled to his feet and took out a small bronze compass from his pocket.

At this moment, the compass needle was not pointing north or south, but was spinning wildly in place. Finally, the needle trembled and pointed in a direction from the Blackwater Swamp.

"Hmph! Still trying to escape? Let's see where you can run to this time!"

The silver-masked man sneered, his figure blurred, and he vanished from the spot in a blur.

He is an assassin for the Blood Pact Merchant Guild, and also a master tracker.

The scent Ye Sheng left on the ship and the unique "Dao E" aura emanating from Ye Kai acted like a lighthouse in the night, pointing him in the direction his prey had fled.

Once inside the swamp, the silver-masked man moved with incredible speed, each step landing precisely on solid ground, avoiding all mud and quicksand.

At this moment, his figure moved like a ghost, silently traversing the Blackwater Swamp, rapidly closing the distance to his prey.

Meanwhile, deep in the swamp, Ye Sheng suddenly stopped, his brows furrowing. Ye Kai, on his back, began to tremble slightly, a soft, uneasy whimper escaping his throat.

Danger!

Ye Sheng immediately became alert. He crouched down and hid behind a thicket of bushes.

Then, he closed his eyes. The "Qi and Blood Perception" talent he gained after mastering the [Internal Breathing Technique] allowed him to vaguely sense the strength of the Qi and Blood of the surrounding creatures.

A few seconds later, in his perception, about five miles behind him, there was an extremely cold yet incredibly powerful fluctuation of blood energy rapidly approaching them.

That aura carried a sinister and brutal quality that Ye Sheng found somewhat familiar.

It's that silver-masked man! He actually tracked me all the way here!

Ye Sheng's heart sank. He couldn't understand how the other party had located him, and he certainly hadn't expected them to be so fast.

"Could it be that my presence gave me away, attracting their attention?"

"But in my current state, carrying my younger brother, there's no way I can outrun a Bone Forging Realm expert."

"A direct confrontation? That would be a dead end. As a beginner-level martial artist, even without considering my younger brother, I have no chance of defeating a martial artist who is a level higher than me at full strength."

"What to do? What to do?"

Ye Sheng was lost in thought, his mind racing, while his gaze swept across the surrounding environment.

This was a low-lying swampy area, filled with bottomless black pools of water, the surface of which was covered with a thick layer of duckweed. The air was thick with a strong, sour, and rotten miasma.

Suddenly, a notification popped up on the [Herbal Identification] panel: [Seven Steps to Death (Highly Toxic Miasma): Excessive inhalation can cause internal organ decay; there is no antidote.]

Ye Sheng's eyes narrowed, and he immediately had an idea. Although this place was a deadly trap, it could also be used to set up a killing scheme!

He calmed down and decided not to run away anymore. Instead, he carried Ye Kai on his back and carefully circled around to the downwind side of this poisonous miasma area.

Then, Ye Sheng found a natural tree hole formed by the roots of a huge dead tree and hid Ye Kai inside.

"Brother, stay here and don't make a sound."

As he spoke, he stuffed a herb he had just picked from nearby, one that had a breath-holding effect, into Ye Kai's mouth and whispered, "I'll be right back."

After settling Ye Kai in, Ye Sheng quickly took out the packet of bone-rotting flower powder he had ground up the night before. He then found some special plants in the swamp that emitted a deceptive scent, mixed them together, and carefully sprinkled them on the ground along a specific route.

He did this to set a trap. A death trap specifically prepared for the silver-masked man who was hunting them down.

After a while, Ye Sheng completely concealed his presence with the silt and decaying leaves in the swamp. Then, like a hunter, he patiently lay down in the grass on a high ground, only revealing a pair of cold eyes, staring intently at the entrance to the nearby poisonous miasma area.

At that moment, the wind stopped. The entire Blackwater Swamp fell into a deathly silence, yet also exuded a murderous aura.

About an incense stick's time later, a dark figure appeared silently at the edge of the poisonous miasma.

It was the silver-masked man who arrived. He stopped and stood there warily, looking around. Although there was no one around, he seemed to sense the danger of the miasma ahead.

A moment later, the silver-masked man simply smiled slightly, a playful curve at the corner of his mouth, as if he didn't take the miasma in front of him seriously at all.

He took out a pill from his pocket and swallowed it. Immediately afterwards, a faint protective aura enveloped his entire body.

The silver-masked man glanced at the "escape" traces deliberately left by Ye Sheng on the ground, pointing to the depths of the poisonous miasma, and a cruel sneer curled at the corner of his mouth.

"Heh, you little brat, you're still too green to try and outsmart me."

Without hesitation, he stepped into the deadly miasma that would deter any ordinary creature from even venturing into.

In the grass, Ye Sheng's breathing had almost stopped. He stared at the back of the silver-masked man not far away, his eyes surging with murderous intent, and murmured: "The fish has taken the bait."