Chapter 19- The rise of Lao Tzu
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"My name is Mu Bai. What is..." One thing I learned from the fight with the snake is not to talk nonsense in front of enemies. So before he finished talking, I made my move. I directed my strength to my feet and lunged towards Mu Bai, before he finished his sentence. He was already flying.

*Bang!*

His back loudly collided with a tall tree, his arrogant demeanor disappeared like water falling down a cliff.

"You... I wasn't ready," Mu Bai struggled to his feet while wiping darkish red blood at the corner of his mouth. Will an enemy give you time to prepare? 

Mu Bai might be hurt, but I'm still not at an advantage; after all, he's stronger than me. So before he could properly regain himself, I attacked again, intending to pummel him while he was still down. I rushed towards him while rolling my hand into a knuckle, I was about to hit him when...

"Flash steps!"

Mu Bai roared and turned into a blue blur. My fist only managed to hit his after image.

"Hmph! You think you can fool this young master twice?" He arrogantly reprimanded once he was a safe distance away. What was that? His speed shouldn't be that fast; otherwise, I wouldn't have managed a sneak attack in the first place. "Did you see that? With my family's secret technique, I can run circles around you. So what do you say? Give up now, and maybe I will reward you with the bones," sure enough, it was a technique. I had underestimated the silk pants, with that technique. My chances of winning are non-existent.

"You can run faster than me, but who said I have to chase you?" I summoned the Yin and Yang palms. Their attack speed is faster than mine. All I need to do is defend, provided he doesn't have a strong attack. Mu Bai glanced at me hatefully as a huge white palm flew towards him.

"Flash steps!"

"Flash steps!"

"Flash ste..."

"Flash..."

"It seems your ability is limited," I chuckled. The more I attacked, the slower he became. The best part is that apart from a minuscule qi I have used to summon the palms, everything else is still full. So once his speed reduced to the point that I could catch up, I personally made a move. Mu Bai didn't resist. My fist connected with his face flesh; all the resentment in my heart I unleashed on him.

"P-Ple..." He tried to talk, but I didn't let him. This guy actually dared to use a ruthless attack without him and me having a grievance.

"What are you saying? I can't hear you," I continued hitting him.

"Pleashe!"

"Ok, that's enough, you'll kill him," following the voice, I finally noticed Mu Bai was unconscious. I released him from my grip, and he fell lifelessly with a plop. "You wanted to kill him," her sister came and nonchalantly asked me. To my surprise, I couldn't notice any fluctuation on her face.

"So what if he killed him?" Hu Ninger stepped forward and confronted her. Her expression was clear. If the girl wished to do something, then she'd have to pass through her.

"No, I was just a bit surprised," saying that, she carelessly picked the unconscious Mu Bai. Her strength is impressive, but that is to be expected from a cultivator. "My name is Mu Lei. Can I know yours?

"Why should we tell you?" Hu Ninger asked, but I stopped her. There's no harm in telling her my name. After all, if she really wanted to know, then she could just wait once I got out of the forest and then look at my identification talisman.

"Lao Tzu," what she needs is a name. Whether it's my real name or not doesn't matter. Also, a fake name should keep her from stalking me, leading to an ending similar to Hu Ninger's.

"What a weird name, anyway. I'll be seeing you later," she then walked away while dragging Mu Bai. For a moment, I felt pity. I felt pity for the poor grass being uprooted in the process.

"Let's continue," Hu Ninger said, and I nodded. I went back to inspect the mangled corpse of the silver-bellied snake. "Here," Hu Ninger threw me something, and I caught it midair. "Try skinning from the front while I start from the tail," saying that, she got to work. Her hands expertly controlled the silver knife; bones were easily separated from flesh and tendons from muscle. I'm not a newbie when it comes to skinning, but she is on another level.

Setting my amazement aside, I started working on the head. The only problem is that I don't know where to start since Hu Ninger wasn't polite with her fists.

I reached out my hand and inserted it inside the snake's head, but it was then that I realized my mistake, shit, this is a snake. Snakes are usually famous for their venom, and stupidly, I blindly inserted my hands inside its mangled head. The consequence was clear. I felt a stinging pain on my finger as foreign energy penetrated my being.

"Shit!"

I panicked and hastily pulled out my hand, a fatal mistake. The sharp thing I presumed to be the fang stabbed deeper in my veins and deposited the poison. My heartbeat fastened as I saw a green patch move from the stabbed area towards the rest of my body.

"Jiang Ming, what is it?" Hu Ninger asked, but I was in no mood or condition to answer her. I tried to calm my heartbeat so that blood flow could be slowed, but all that was my wishful thinking. A darkish green patch slowly spread from the stabbed area. "Are you poisoned?" Hu Ninger came to my side and asked a stupid question. "Relax, it's not that bad. In fact, you can say it's a blessing," hearing her words, I suspiciously eyed her while thinking if she was happy over my misfortune after I regarded her as a minion.

"The silver-bellied snake poison disintegrates your bones and flesh," she started to explain further and faintly. I could see why she regards it as a blessing. "For a mortal, that would be the end but for cultivators. The poison can be used to refine and temper the body. It's only that no one dares due to the pain," I finally calmed down but immediately after. A sharp pain assaulted me.

"Shit!" I gritted my teeth and endured the pain if I gave in and cried in front of Hu Ninger. Will I still have face? The pain is like having each of your bones broken and reassembled. At some point, I felt like someone had turned off the lights. I struggled to maintain my consciousness, and eventually, my vision grew so dark that it was impossible to determine if the darkness was because of my closed eyes or...

***

I woke up feeling a slight headache. Where am I? I struggled to keep my eyes that seemed to weigh [1000 catties] open. My head rested on something that was too comfortable to be my pillow. A familiar, pleasant fragrance assaulted my nose. "Hu Ninger?"

"You're finally awake!" A melodious heavenly voice responded to my inquiry. I struggled to get out of the sleeping position. Once I was on my feet, I turned and gazed at her. Sitting on her legs, Hu Ninger gently gazed at me.

"What happened?" To dispel the awkwardness, I asked her a question.

"You were unable to endure and passed out," she said and got on her feet. "But you keep surprising me, are you human? How were you able to endure your body disintegrating?" She moved closer and eyed me inquisitively. It seems it's in her nature to be curious.

"Of course I'm human, can't you tell?" 

"You don't get it. A tier four human body refiner would have screamed like a child if they were in your position. It would only make sense if you were a demon as they are naturally gifted with a supernatural pain endurance compared to humans," surprisingly, Hu Ninger's question evoked suspicions inside me. How does one tell if they are human or not? I eventually discarded the thoughts, whether I'm a demon or human isn't that important.

"Did you finish?" I pointed at the snake's corpse. Right now, only the useless parts remain. Hu Ninger nodded, confirming my thoughts.

"After we return to the sect, I will sell them and bring you the profits."

"Then let's continue," I remembered my initial goal and said. Is Feng Lin really safe? If he was unlucky to encounter a beast such as the silver belly. Then his chances don't seem promising.

"I've been meaning to ask, what exactly are you searching for?" Hu Ninger rushed to match my pace and said.

"Well..."

******

~ Feng Lin's POV~

I don't know why, but for some reason. Young master doesn't want me anymore in his group now that I think about it. All this was initiated after the toilet man's beating. I regret being weak. I regret not having the strength to avenge him. After all, he's my...

But if I remove the toilet man, all this can be said to be my fault; from birth, I wasn't that liked. My mother died soon after giving birth to me, and since then, my father blamed me for it. My care and wellbeing was left for the servants and their whims. The rest of the family copied my father and started scolding me every chance they had. At first, I could endure, but all that changed after a relative of mine tested the waters and hit me. My father turned a blind eye to it, and since then, I became a punching bag.

Despair, betrayal, fear, anger. I experienced all of them. Finally, I became indifferent. I ignored their beatings and insults, taking them as a necessity. All that changed one fateful day when my relatives had ganged up on me, I still vividly remember how it happened. He came like a knight in shining armor; effortlessly, he beat up the gang assaulting me and reached out his hand for me. The setting sun blocked his face from me, but I would eventually come to see it and commit it to memory. With his arrival, my silent heart finally started to beat once more. Life restored in my eyes. He was light in the endless darkness. I was like a drowning man and a straw, so I tightly clutched at the straw that was him.

From that day, I vowed to follow him. Luckily, he didn't object. My father, for some reason, stopped bullying me, he ordered the rest of the family to leave me alone, and they did. I don't know if he was scared of him or his background; speaking of backgrounds, I don't know what family he belongs to. I know all the major families, but none use the surname Jiang.

*Rustle**Rustle*

A disturbance disrupted me from my thoughts. I immediately unsheathed my sword and vigilantly prepared for the worst. The thing noticed me and ceased moving, but after a short standoff, it emerged. The snout was the first to appear, followed by a gigantic dog head. I don't know what the beast is, but I'm sure it belongs to the wolf family.

*Growl*

The wolf menacingly looked at me and slowly approached me. Its stance is that of a stalking tiger. My first instinct was to run, but I then remembered what brought me here. Isn't this what I wanted? Then why should I run? 

"Ice arts, first level," I circulated my qi according to the ice arts of my family. A thin frost engulfed my sword, and I rushed for the creature. Before it could react, my sword was already descending.

"Hmph! Why were you so confident?" After easily slaughtering the wolf, I wondered why it even dared to attack me, knowing it was so weak.

"Not good!" It was then that I remembered, a lone wolf isn't that hard to deal with. A pack, on the other hand...

*Growl*

*Growl*

Grey furred silhouettes emerged from the bush covers, I counted about sixteen, but I'm sure that's not all. I panicked. Attacking one will result in an opening, and the wolves aren't kind enough to turn a blind eye to it. It just so happens that I lack a multi-target attack. The most I can do is create a small ice blizzard and make a run for it while they are still blinded.

"Ice blizzard!" My shout caused the beasts to attack, but it was too late. A small stormy ice storm occurred as I made a run for it, but I was too naive. The direction I chose was anything but good. A wolf immediately pounced on me, and I instinctively waved my sword, slashing it in half, but that is all the time the rest of the pack needed. They freed themselves from the blinding snow and charged.

I started to weigh if I should run or face them off, but I was interrupted. A blade-like thing cut my back, causing me to stumble and fall. I looked back, and to my horror, the wolves could, to some extent, command the wind and command they did. 

I blocked and dodged some wind blades until, eventually, my qi started to wear out. My body wasn't in good condition either; the wolves could be said to be expert hunters as they deliberately aimed for my legs and other vulnerable areas.

"I can't give up!" In the last effort to survive, I attacked, but since when can one grow stronger by simply resolving themselves? The attack was sloppy. If the wolves could laugh, then I would have killed them with laughter. I anticlimactically fell to the ground. Am I going to die like this? Unexpectedly, what I'm feeling isn't fear but regret and unaccomplishment. I never got to pay Jiang Ming back. To him, his action might have been on a whim, but they were my turning point too. I'm sorry, if there's a next life, then I'll definitely repay you.

"There..." as the last bit of consciousness faded, a voice I'm fond of sounded

****

"Is he awake?"

"What do you mean he?"

"Obviously, I mean him."

"Wait, could it be that you don't know... Forget it. It's better this way."

I had Jiang Ming's voice talking to an unfamiliar female voice, my eyes shot open, and I wondered. What does he mean by he? Could it be that he thinks I'm... Well, I can't blame him. I wasn't gifted, and my choice of clothing can be said to be weird. Also, I've never had a good conversation with him. I was always content with silently staying by his side. That said, it is still a little hurtful.

"Feng Lin, why did you come to this place alone? You shouldn't have taken my words seriously," Jiang Ming approached me and said, but how can I not take his words seriously? "Honestly, I doubted why you were so committed to following me and intended to demotivate you by giving you an impossible task," his voice was apologetic, making my heart flutter.

"I won't stop you from following me anymore, but you have to..."

Sorry for not posting yesterday, I had a headache.

Anyway, favorite.

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