Even a Lion Exerts All Its Might to Catch a Hare

Although that middle-aged man was only at peak Viscera Tempering, a faint medicinal aroma wafted from his body. Among the scents Lin Zheyu could identify, he detected the fragrance of three distinct medicinal herbs. All of these herbs could be used to concoct poisons; this middle-aged man was very likely skilled in the way of poison. The other elder looked utterly unremarkable, but his ability to conceal his aura was quite decent. Even so, with his formidable perception, Lin Zheyu still sensed the fluctuations of qi and blood within the man's body. The fluctuations of his qi and blood were not far from Qi and Blood Gossamer. In his youth, he had likely reached the Qi and Blood Gossamer level, but alas, his strength had declined considerably with the aging of his body. Against such a combination, even Lin Zheyu found the situation tricky. "What, still thinking about running?" Seeing Lin Zheyu's silence, the young man sneered disdainfully. "With your skill, dodging those arrows just now was already impressive enough. If I let you get away, I, Zhao Ziyan, wouldn't have any face left to show in Songyi City." With that, he raised his bow, nocked three arrows onto the bowstring, and aimed at Lin Zheyu. A mocking grin spread across his face, as if he were toying with prey. Zhao Ziyan... Someone from the Zhao clan? Lin Zheyu's heart sank. Of everyone in Songyi City, the Zhao clan was the one he least wanted to cross paths with. The Zhao clan excelled in poisons and was exceedingly troublesome to deal with. Fighting them meant remaining on guard at all times against secret poisoning; that elder might very well be an expert in poisons too. Unlike the Xing clan, however, the Zhao clan kept an extremely low profile. Lin Zheyu rarely had any dealings with them in daily life, never expecting to run into their people here. "Fine!" Lin Zheyu said in a deep voice, a look of unwilling resignation surfacing on his face. He unslung his bundle, slowly crouched down, and set it on the ground. "And hand over your cultivation method, too," the young man chuckled. "My apologies, but I don't carry the manual on me. Would you allow me to go back and retrieve it?" Lin Zheyu asked. "Heh, do you take me for a fool?" "If you don't have it on you, come back with me and write it down from memory," Zhao Ziyan sneered. He produced a medicinal pill from his robes and commanded, "Clasp your hands behind your head, crawl over on your knees, and swallow this pill." As soon as the words left his mouth, his gaze narrowed, and he loosed an arrow. *Swoosh—* The arrow shot forward with ferocious speed, aimed straight at the pouch at Lin Zheyu's waist. Just a moment earlier, he had noticed Lin Zheyu surreptitiously reaching toward his pouch; trying petty tricks right under his nose was sheer overestimation of oneself. *Thwack, thwack, thwack.* The instant the first arrow flew, the young man rapidly fired six more in succession, cutting off Lin Zheyu's routes of escape. Lin Zheyu rolled along the ground and flicked a throwing knife. The blade did not fly exceptionally fast, but it aimed straight for the young man's eyes, forcing him to dodge. Seizing the opening, Lin Zheyu lunged forward, darting headlong into the mountain forest. With a few swift dodges, he used the dense woods to conceal himself, vanishing from the young man's sight. "Slippery brat. What remarkable footwork." "Uncle Hai, help me catch that kid and bring him back. Such outstanding lightness skill would be considered a top-tier martial art even among our Zhao clan's collections," Zhao Ziyan said coldly. That a mere Bone Tempering Realm martial artist had escaped from his hands left him thoroughly disgruntled. "Yes, Young Master!" The middle-aged man called Uncle Hai answered. With a flicker of his body, he charged into the forest. "Grandfather, do you recognize what technique that brat used?" Zhao Ziyan asked the elder. He was familiar with the martial arts of the major aristocratic families in Songyi City. Moreover, that youth didn't look like he came from a clan of status; he was likely a vagrant who had drifted in from another city. "I don't recognize it. However, I once saw it on a Qi and Blood Realm expert back then. This person is very likely his disciple," the elder said, an unexpected look dawning on his face. "Was that man very strong? Should we call Uncle Hai back?" Zhao Ziyan frowned. If the kid had a master in the Qi and Blood Realm backing him, things could become troublesome. "No need." "Although that man cultivated to the Qi and Blood Three Transformations and specialized in leg techniques, his right leg was unfortunately crippled. Unable to exert even half his strength, he is nothing to fear." "Just make sure things are cleaned up properly afterward. Our Zhao clan has no reason to fear a crippled martial artist of the Qi and Blood Three Transformations." The elder spoke indifferently, his tone brimming with immense confidence. "Then my mind is at ease," Zhao Ziyan said. He walked over, picked up the bundle on the ground, and pulled out the bits of minced flesh tainted with yin fiend poison that Lin Zheyu had collected. Not long had passed since Lin Zheyu put the meat into the poison pouch, yet the yin fiend poison had already seeped through the leather exterior. One could see that the outside of the leather pouch was turning faintly black. "Utterly foolish. How dare he handle corpse poison so carelessly? If one were contaminated by accident, even a Qi and Blood Realm martial artist would find it extremely troublesome." Zhao Ziyan sneered at the sight. From the pack on his back, he retrieved a jade bottle. Using a spoon-shaped iron tool, he gingerly scooped out the blackened portions, deposited them into the jade bottle, and tossed away the minced flesh. Having dealt with the scraps from the bundle, without sparing another glance at the rest of its contents, he walked aside to scrape out the scorched, blackened patches from the trees. "Grandfather, is this living corpse truly so powerful? With our Zhao clan's foundation, can we really not capture and imprison it to serve as a continuous source of corpse poison?" Zhao Ziyan asked curiously after collecting the poison. "Corpse poison" was their term for the yin fiend poison found on the living corpse. According to records handed down by the Zhao clan's ancestors, this corpse poison was exceptionally virulent and could be used to brew a potent toxic concoction. Not long ago, news of a living corpse appearing in Beast Roar Mountain had spread, so they had begun sending people into the mountain to search for it and gather corpse poison. "Capture it? How could we?" "That living corpse possesses skin of copper and bones of iron. It fears neither blades nor lethal poisons; it can only be subdued through overwhelming brute force." "Even an ordinary Qi and Blood Realm martial artist stands no chance of victory against it and can only flee. Only those at or above the Qi and Blood Three Transformations can contest it." "Yet the living corpse is far too resilient; in the end, one still cannot subdue it. To capture it alive would likely require three or four experts at the Qi and Blood Three Transformations or higher." The elder shook his head. It was not that he did not want to, but that he could not. If they could capture the living corpse and keep it as a source of corpse poison, the Zhao clan would soon become the premier aristocratic family of Songyi City! "Strange. Why hasn't Uncle Hai returned yet?" "It's merely a Bone Tempering Realm brat. With Uncle Hai's lightness skill and tracking techniques, he should have caught him by now." After finishing collecting the corpse poison, Zhao Ziyan waited for a while longer, but Uncle Hai still had not returned. He looked toward the direction Uncle Hai had gone, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. "Let's go have a look," the elder said after a moment's contemplation. The two gathered their belongings and stepped into the forest. Advancing several dozen meters, they passed through a dense copse surrounded by thick undergrowth. *Swoosh, swoosh!* Suddenly, two freezing flashes of blade light burst forth. The edges were razor-sharp, piercing through the air with a terrifying howl. The hairs on the elder's body stood on end. Kicking off the ground violently, he threw himself backward at a sharp angle, narrowly avoiding the throwing knives. *Bang!* The knife grazed past his front and struck a distant tree trunk with a sharp thud, blasting open a small, round cavity. "Ahhh!!" A familiar shriek rang out. The elder shuddered and whipped around toward Zhao Ziyan. A throwing knife had pierced straight into Zhao Ziyan's temple from the side, its hilt burying deep as blood mingled with brain matter splattered out. Carried by the immense force behind the blade, Zhao Ziyan flew back like a rag doll and slammed against a tree trunk, lifeless. His eyes were wide and staring, brimming with terror and shock, unable to rest in peace. "Yan'er!" The elder cried out, grief tearing at his heart. This was his most beloved grandson, the most brilliant younger-generation descendant of his branch. At only twenty-three years old, he had already reached the Viscera Tempering Realm. With just a few years of tempering, he would soon have broken through to the Qi and Blood Realm. Yet he had died right before his eyes so effortlessly. "What cowardly rat dares ambush us? Come out!" the elder roared. Grief-stricken though he was, he did not dare step forward to examine Zhao Ziyan's corpse. Instead, his nerves stretched taut as he surveyed his surroundings. The assailant was very strong—definitely an expert at the Qi and Blood Gossamer level. Even he had sensed immense danger from that blade just now. *Swish, swish, swish—* No one answered. In their stead came three frigid throwing knives. "Hmph!" The elder grunted coldly. Brandishing his wolf-tooth mace, he knocked each knife away. He had only appeared flustered earlier because of the surprise attack; now that he was on guard, such crude concealed weapons could do nothing against him. He scanned the mountain woods, yet failed to sense any trace of the attacker's presence. Not only that, but the assailant's lightness skill was remarkably profound, making virtually no sound. The cold wind howled and the forest rustled, masking what tiny movements remained. *Who is this person? Their ability to conceal their aura is terrifying—I can't sense the slightest fluctuation of qi and blood!* The elder's expression grew solemn, shock filling his heart. He considered himself accomplished at aura concealment, but compared to the person in the shadows, he paled in comparison. The other party had been lurking less than ten meters beside them earlier, yet he had not noticed in the slightest! *Swish, swish, swish—* Three throwing knives shot forth, cutting off the elder's retreat. The elder dodged swiftly, parrying intermittently with his wolf-tooth mace. "It's useless. If this is all Your Excellency is capable of, you won't bring this old man down!" "You'd best hope I never discover your identity, or I will have your entire family, young and old, buried with Yan'er!" the elder snarled, his eyes freezing cold. *Swish, swish, swish.* Another three throwing knives whistled through the air. The elder deflected them with his wolf-tooth mace, but the tremendous force behind the blades jarred his arm numb. *What terrifying power!* His expression darkened further. Focusing entirely on his surroundings, he edged slowly toward an open clearing not far away. The elder was powerful, one of the noted experts of the Zhao clan. Paired with his mastery of poisons, even an expert of the Qi and Blood First Transformation would fear him somewhat. Yet inside this dense forest, relying on nimble footwork and astonishing aura concealment, his opponent gave him no opportunity to spot a trace. This left all his poison skills utterly useless, with no target to unleash them upon. Sniff, sniff. The elder twitched his nose, catching a faint, familiar scent. *Poison!* "A very peculiar poison, one even I haven't seen before. But trying to use poison against me? You're far too green!" The elder sneered. Circulating his qi and blood, he discovered its flow had grown slightly sluggish. Though he did not recognize the poison, hailing from the Zhao clan meant he knew poisons intimately. The moment any symptom manifested in his body, he knew roughly how to alleviate it. He swiftly rummaged through his pack and fished out a dark brown medicinal pill. This type of pill could mitigate most toxins that caused sluggish qi and blood. *Swoosh.* A throwing knife shot forth abruptly, tearing through the air toward his face. The elder swayed aside to dodge it, swiftly tossing the pill into his mouth. *Boom!* From the underbrush, Lin Zheyu erupted violently. Qi and blood surged through his body like a raging torrent, pouring into both legs. Unleashing monstrous force, his right leg swept in a roundhouse kick, whistling with gale-force wind straight for the elder's head. Caught completely off guard, the elder had no time to defend himself. Too fast—unbelievably fast. The assailant's aura concealment was frighteningly potent. Utilizing the mountain woods for cover, combined with overwhelming speed, he caught the elder entirely unawares. *Smack!* The elder took a brutal blow to the head, and the pill he had just tossed into his mouth sprayed out. The colossal impact sent him flying backward. He crashed heavily onto the ground, his vision swimming. Appalled, the elder relied on rich experience and stubborn willpower to fight through the dizziness, rolling along the ground. He hurriedly circulated his qi and blood into his legs, retreating with frantic haste. Yet it was already too late. *Rip!* Lin Zheyu exploded with force underfoot. Closing the distance in several bounding strides, he unleashed the Wild Bull Fist, tremendous qi and blood erupting through his arms. Qi and blood roared like thunder as an astonishing momentum swirled around him. His fist slammed into the elder's chest. With a sickening crack, ribs shattered, and the punch blasted clean through, punching a hole straight through the elder. The elder spat out a mouthful of blood. As his vision slowly cleared, he finally saw the face of his ambusher—it was the very young man he had met just moments ago. "It's... it's you!" The elder's eyes bulged, and with utter disbelief written across his face, he breathed his last. To his dying breath, he could not fathom how a mere Bone Tempering Realm youth could abruptly unleash the might of Qi and Blood Gossamer. In all his experience, it had never crossed his mind that someone so young could reach the Qi and Blood Realm. *Thud.* With a casual flick of his wrist, Lin Zheyu tossed the elder's corpse to the ground and finally exhaled a breath of relief. People of the Zhao clan were tricky to handle; the poisons on them made even him somewhat wary. Had the elder and the middle-aged man stayed together earlier, his hands would have been tied when making a move. "Even a lion exerts all its might to catch a hare. One must never underestimate any enemy," Lin Zheyu muttered to himself. Had he not acted cowardly at the start and concealed his strength below the Bone Tempering level throughout, thereby luring away that middle-aged man, he never could have succeeded so easily. Lin Zheyu did not linger. After looting the bodies, he returned to the spot where the middle-aged man had died, searched his corpse as well, and swiftly departed.