CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42 REVENGE MUST BE TAKEN_1

Returning from the underground trading meet, Jia Ren immediately made the Turtle Spirit Ointment and busied himself with cultivation, allowing Si Mingkong to live a few more days.

Today was to be his day of death.

Use the Metal Finger Technique?

Using spells would cause Spiritual Power fluctuations. Not only would this alert Si Mingkong, but there was also a chance of attracting the Five Elements Sect.

It’s best to avoid taking such risks oneself.

Jia Ren went to the Insect Breeding Room and looked at the three Exotic Black Mosquitoes.

Ever since they had Turtle Demon Blood, the three Exotic Black Mosquitoes had recovered their condition and were no longer listless.

The two flightless Exotic Black Mosquitoes resignedly acted like spirit rice weevils and showed no signs of laying eggs anytime soon.

Only one Exotic Black Mosquito could be of use, serving as a deadly weapon.

"Nurture an army for a thousand days, use it for one moment!" Jia Ren muttered.

"The time has come to prove your worth!"

Controlling the Exotic Black Mosquito to perch on his shoulder, Jia Ren headed along tunnel number four and soon arrived at the edge of the passage.

The layout was similar to that of tunnel number five, only two zhang away from Si Mingkong’s secret chamber.

The tiny openings remaining in the mud wall were reopened. Peering through these peepholes, Jia Ren could vaguely see Si Mingkong’s figure two zhang away.

He paced back and forth incessantly, looking irritable.

Where has Jia Ren hidden himself? Si Mingkong wondered. Despite asking many fellow cultivators, nobody knows his whereabouts.

Si Mingkong was wary of Jia Ren; ever since encountering him at the trading meet, he had been unable to find peace.

He had never forgotten the scar on his face and the pain, and the thought of killing Jia Ren had never ceased.

Unfortunately, once the trading meet ended, Jia Ren seemed to have vanished into thin air.

The unknown is what truly terrifies, he thought.

If he dares to show up, I will make sure he has no grave to be buried in.

Under the dim candlelight, his burnt face appeared as fierce as a demon’s.

Jia Ren didn’t rush to act; he was as patient as a seasoned hunter, quietly waiting for his prey to expose a weakness.

Two hours passed.

Si Mingkong sat cross-legged, cultivating in meditation.

The opportunity has come! Jia Ren thought.

Take him down!

The Exotic Black Mosquito, upon receiving Jia Ren’s command, burrowed through a tiny opening, cautiously approaching Si Mingkong.

The moment it entered Si Mingkong’s underground chamber, the Exotic Black Mosquito dropped its subtlety. With an abrupt burst, it vibrated its wings and flew towards Si Mingkong.

Eh, that sounds like a mosquito, Si Mingkong thought, just as he opened his eyes.

How could there be mosquitoes in an underground secret chamber?

He then saw a black-gleaming mosquito rapidly enlarging before him.

"What is this?!"

Before he could react, the Exotic Black Mosquito’s sharp mouthparts, emitting a black light, pierced into his head. His solid skull offered no resistance; it was breached with a single stab.

The black light erupted from its mouthparts. Si Mingkong still had some strength to resist, but it vanished the moment the black light pierced his head. Brain matter spurted out from a hole in the back of his skull.

Si Mingkong’s body stiffened, and he fell to the ground, devoid of life.

He never would have imagined that by hiding in this secret chamber to cultivate, he would die just like that...

He had set up numerous contingencies; any intruder should have been detected immediately.

Even if Jia Ren had wanted to make a move, he should have been caught in the traps.

Unexpectedly, none of them had been of any use.

The Exotic Black Mosquito’s black glow dimmed; the recent outburst had taken a significant toll.

It landed on Si Mingkong’s body and greedily sucked his blood. Its belly swelled to three times its original size, emanating a sanguine glow. Then, as if drunk, the mosquito sluggishly returned through the tunnel.

The man was already dead; even a finishing blow was unnecessary.

A vicious mosquito, wasting no words.

Break through the tunnel, Jia Ren decided.

Now that the enemy was dead, it was time to collect the spoils of war.

The Corner Worms got busy, quickly enlarging the opening. In less than half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the tunnel connected to Si Mingkong’s underground chamber.

"Killers will always be killed in return!" Jia Ren said aloud as he stepped into the chamber.

After confirming there were no hidden dangers on Si Mingkong, Jia Ren took the Storage Bag from his waist.

Now that’s a relief!

Holding the Storage Bag that belonged to Si Mingkong, the frustration from his previously failed attempt to steal techniques was largely alleviated.

Opening the Storage Bag, he took out the treasures inside.

In one word: poor!

Compared to the Bizarre Cultivator who had previously died at his hands, Si Mingkong was on a completely different level.

Nine Spirit Stones and five Broken Spirits.

Twelve jin and six liang of Spirit Rice.

Thirty-five jin of ordinary rice.

One Inferior Grade Black Sword Talisman.

One Earth Armor Talisman.

Two Sound Transmission Talismans.

Ten Explosive Talismans.

Two hundred and forty-five taels of gold.

Besides that, nothing else...

Still, this was considerably more than what he himself possessed when he first arrived.

A cultivator at the Fourth Layer of Qi Refinement is a bit poor, though.

This is the normal state for a Loose Cultivator at the bottom.

Si Mingkong paid at least five Spirit Stones for the old stone house. Who knows what other expenses he had?

Having hidden for nearly a month and depleted his resources, Si Mingkong wouldn’t have had much wealth left.

If he weren’t poor, why would he have taken an interest in the business of forging counterfeit bait?

Not many Spirit Stones, but having eliminated a great enemy, my mood is quite good.

If it were before, Jia Ren would have certainly burnt Si Mingkong’s body to ash, erasing all traces.

But now...

Jia Ren took out a large waterskin and slit Si Mingkong’s throat to drain his blood.

The Spiritual Blood from a cultivator’s body would be useful for feeding the Exotic Black Mosquitoes. Not knowing how long he would still need to hide underground, the more reserves of Spiritual Blood, the better.

He would let the Corner Worms feast on the remains, saving a great deal of Spirit Rice otherwise used for their cultivation—a good way to recycle waste.

Any bones that couldn’t be eaten would be incinerated with the Fireball Technique.

With this, all traces Si Mingkong left in this world were erased.

Let me look around, see if I’ve missed anything.

Following the tunnel, Jia Ren arrived at the stone house and immediately saw Explosive Talismans pasted all around.

These were traps set for intruders; anyone entering rashly would trigger the Explosive Talismans.

This was a new tactic Si Mingkong had learned after suffering a huge loss at Jia Ren’s hands.

If Jia Ren dared to come, Si Mingkong would have given him a taste of his own medicine.

However, Jia Ren didn’t play by the rules, instead using an underground tunnel for a surprise attack.

The laid traps were rendered useless...

Not bad, a few new Explosive Talismans, Jia Ren thought, collecting them one by one. Altogether, the number approached twenty.

It’s time to leave!

The underground secret chamber had to be dealt with carefully to prevent anyone from discovering the tunnel.

Si Mingkong’s disappearance might attract attention, and Jia Ren didn’t want anyone discovering his tracks.

He carefully erased his traces and then sent out the Corner Worms to fill nearly five zhang of the tunnel.

For the time being, I don’t plan on using this escape route.

After several days of closed-door cultivation, I wonder if there will be any new developments, Jia Ren mused.

I’ll continue to increase the Proficiency Level of the Turtle Breath Technique and gather some intelligence while I’m at it.

The Turtle Breath Technique was not far from reaching the Master Level; he could improve its proficiency and gather intelligence simultaneously.

Jia Ren habitually first went to eavesdrop near the female cultivator surnamed Wang.

Lately, the dual-cultivation business hadn’t been going well; many practitioners had no customers.

Only when one was warm and well-fed did they entertain such "special" ideas. Many Loose Cultivators were so poor they couldn’t even afford rice for their pots, let alone squander Spirit Stones on such pursuits.

After a good while with no intelligence forthcoming, he decisively moved on.

If I remember correctly, the trading meet will reopen tomorrow.

The underground trading meet, barring any accidents, opened at a specific time every seven days.

This was a set safe time.

Jia Ren still went to Fang Wu’s Residence, his gaze probing towards the location of the underground trading meet, only to find darkness below.

After scanning for a moment, he couldn’t find any trace of Fang Wu.

He was unsure if Fang Wu was even there.

Elder Wu seemed even more sullen, making it likely difficult to glean any useful intelligence from him.

Still, Jia Ren approached out of habit, hoping for some gain.

"Daoist Wu, I sincerely wish to learn the Seeking Demon Talisman Technique and offer one hundred Spirit Stones as a gift for becoming your disciple."

Although no one was visible in the secret chamber, a familiar voice could still be heard.

"Daoist Shen, you must be joking," Elder Wu’s voice replied.

"The Seeking Demon Talisman Technique is my livelihood; I will never sell it!

"I warn you, Daoist Shen, not to think about killing for treasure. The craft of making Seeking Demon Talismans has long been destroyed by me. Even killing me won’t allow you to acquire it."

Elder Wu coldly refused, unmoved by the offer of one hundred Spirit Stones as a discipleship gift.

"Please leave, Daoist Shen!"

"Alas, I have been presumptuous," Shen Daoyou’s voice sighed.

"If Daoist Wu ever wishes to sell the Seeking Demon Talisman Technique, please be sure to notify me."