Disease Cultivator

Critick's sudden appearance took Daboyins completely by surprise. When they had first crossed paths outside the grocery store, the foreigner had left a deep impression on him because of the bizarre blisters covering his body. It had frightened Daboyins into checking his own body repeatedly, terrified of catching an infection. The foreigner's way of asking for directions had also been peculiar. Arriving in Yaowanggou yet not knowing where to buy medicine—Daboyins had once suspected his motives. Yet Daboyins had never imagined that this foreigner was after Li Banfeng as well. What was more, he hadn't bothered to investigate Li Banfeng's whereabouts himself. Instead, he had directly capitalized on Daboyins's investigation, waiting until Daboyins found Li Banfeng so he could swoop in and snatch the prize. Was there anything in the world that came so easily? Daboyins smiled. "Fine. I'll yield him to you. He's right here. Come over and take him." Spiderwebs surrounded Li Banfeng on all sides. Daboyins was keen to see what trick Critick possessed to even lay a finger on him. Critick blinked his emerald-green eyes and made a direct request of Daboyins. "Could you please clear away your spider silk? That way it'll be easier for me to walk over." Daboyins stood dumbfounded for a long moment, then chuckled. "Do you think that's a reasonable request?" Critick shrugged. "Is it not? If you don't clear the silk, how am I supposed to take him away?" Daboyins sneered, "I'm not clearing a single strand. If you have the skill, come get him. If not, piss off." Critick nodded. "Remember what you said. Whatever you do, don't clear away your silk. If you do, you're not a real man!" The moment the words left his mouth, Critick unbuttoned his shirt and raked his fingernails across a cluster of blisters on his chest. Fluid splattered from the ruptured sores—crystal-clear beads of verdant liquid, hanging like emerald dewdrops along every strand of spider silk. Daboyins froze. This was the first time he had ever seen such a method of attack. What followed was even more bizarre: every green dewdrop on the silk began to move on its own. The fluid from the blisters possessed a life of its own, creeping along the silk strands. This meant that every single thread Daboyins had spun had now become a conduit for the blister venom, allowing the fluid to mount an assault against him from every direction. What would happen if he touched that fluid? Would he break out in blisters all over, or would it kill him on the spot? Daboyins dared not find out. He immediately severed a section of his web to clear an exit, escaping the entrapment of the blister fluids first. At the same time, Li Banfeng drew the Tang dao from his pocket and shouted, "Strike!" The Tang dao instantly expanded back to over a meter in length. With a metallic clatter, it slid from its scabbard and slashed through a sheet of webbing. Li Banfeng bolted through the opening. Tugging on a thread of silk, Daboyins leaped into the air and swung down right in front of Li Banfeng, his arms suddenly elongating as he reached to seize him. If he managed to grab Li Banfeng, he would immediately use the silk to pull himself onto the nearby rooftops and use a mouthful of venom to render Li Banfeng unconscious. If Daboyins succeeded, Li Banfeng would have no escape, and Critick would never catch up. Unfortunately for Daboyins, he failed. The Tang dao flashed before Li Banfeng and unleashed a clean slash, severing one of Daboyins's arms. Daboyins crashed to the ground. Li Banfeng dared not linger. Behind him was Critick, leaking green ooze—a single glance was enough to know the man was not to be approached. Li Banfeng flicked a rust pill, striking Daboyins right in the cheek, and then took off at a full sprint. Daboyins gave chase relentlessly, rust creeping across his body with rapid speed. Trailing behind, Critick looked on with astonishment. "What kind of illness is that? I've never seen it before." "You're that curious? Let me give you a closer look!" Daboyins's body shuddered, and from head to toe, he shed an entire layer. What was it that he shed? Even Critick could not tell. There were clothes, hair, a fedora, a face, hands, feet, and shoes. Daboyins had molted! The rust-covered husk nearly stuck to Critick. And post-molt Daboyins was even more miraculous. He was still wearing clothes and shoes, and the fedora was still perched atop his head. "Your clothes are your skin. No, that's not right. Your skin has clothes on it. No, that's not right either. To be precise... you aren't wearing clothes at all. It's all your skin!" Critick's running commentary deeply displeased Daboyins—or at least, he shouldn't have said it so loudly. The private detective whipped a sheet of spiderweb behind him and snapped at Critick, "Can you stop following me?" Dodging the web, Critick remained nonchalant. "This road doesn't belong to your family. If you can walk on it, why can't I?" Daboyins snorted coldly. "This is Puluo Province soil. You aren't even from Puluo Province." Critick retorted, "I love Puluo Province. I have a Puluo Province tattoo. If you'd like, I can show it to you." Neither of them was a journey cultivator, so why could they keep pace with Li Banfeng? Because of the gap in cultivation. Daboyins was at tier five. Although his speed couldn't match a journey cultivator of the same tier, he could easily keep up with a tier-one journey cultivator. Critick's cultivation was unknown, but it was higher than Daboyins's. If either of them went all out to capture him, Li Banfeng would have no chance of escaping. Fortunately, the two checked each other, giving Li Banfeng a slim opportunity. Li Banfeng ran with everything he had, yet he still could not shake them off. Seeing Critick closing in, Li Banfeng abruptly hurled the bloodstained scissors. The scissors shot toward Critick, lunging straight for his throat. Critick strained to catch the scissors, giving Li Banfeng the chance to veer off. Daboyins caught up immediately afterward, thrusting out his two elongated arms, about to trap Li Banfeng. The Tang dao slipped from its sheath once more, flying behind Li Banfeng and thrusting straight at Daboyins's chest. The strike was fast as lightning. Daboyins dodged with great difficulty, tumbling flat onto the ground. Li Banfeng was overjoyed and ordered the Tang dao, "Hack him to death!" The Tang dao rapidly shrank and slipped back into Li Banfeng's pocket. What was this? Just three strikes? You piece-of-trash blade, calling you 'Two Strikes' was a compliment... Li Banfeng had no time to ponder it and continued sprinting for his life. These two skirmishes bought Li Banfeng enough time to dart into a deep alleyway. By the time Daboyins and Critick pursued him into the alley, Li Banfeng had vanished without a trace. Daboyins searched the ground for footprints, but the tracks abruptly vanished near the mouth of the alley. Did he jump over the wall? Daboyins examined the walls on both sides, but found no marks of climbing. "Where did he go?" Daboyins was thoroughly baffled. Critick nodded. "Indeed, where could he have gone?" Daboyins whipped around, glaring at Critick, and snarled, "Stop following me!" Critick sighed. "My dear sir, how many times must I say it? This street doesn't belong to your family, and Yaowanggou certainly doesn't belong to your family either." Daboyins's body swelled, abruptly transforming into an enormous spider. He pounced before Critick, trapping him with his spider legs, his two chelicerae poised at Critick's throat. "Do you want to die that badly?" Critick laughed. "You actually dare to come close to me? I really wonder which of us wants to die more." Blisters erupted across Critick's face, beads of fluid seeping from each of them. All eight of Daboyins's eyes gleamed as he said mockingly, "Go ahead, pass your germs onto me! At worst, I'll just shed another skin!" Critick shook his head. "Germs don't necessarily have to spread to your skin." "They can also be airborne, right? I don't have to breathe," Daboyins chuckled. "I can take your life first." "That wouldn't be very nice," Critick coughed twice. "I have a fever. Treating a sick man like this is hardly gentlemanly." "A fever? Must be miserable. If I kill you, you won't suffer anymore." Daboyins extended his fangs toward Critick's throat. "Don't be so rough. I really do have a fever." Critick's body suddenly glowed fiery red, scorching Daboyins until blue smoke billowed from his flesh. He truly did have a fever—his body temperature exceeded that of a red-hot iron rod. This was a special technique of a Disease Cultivator. Daboyins had never encountered a Disease Cultivator before. Under the searing heat, he was forced to molt once more, slipping out of his old skin and retreating to the wall. The old skin was reduced to ashes, and Daboyins realized the formidable power of his opponent. From his coat, he pulled out a cocoon about the size of a ping-pong ball, dangling it from a strand of silk and swaying it slowly in his hand. This was a warning to Critick. Critick looked at the cocoon and took a step back. "That belongs to Madam Bagworm Moth?" Daboyins nodded. "At least you know what's good." Critick indeed knew what it was. He was aware of Madam Bagworm Moth's tier and knew the tremendous power this cocoon packed. "To have obtained that cocoon proves you sacrificed a great deal." Gritting his teeth, Daboyins said, "Then you should know full well what it can do." Yet Critick had no intention of backing down. Keeping his eyes on Daboyins, he asked, "Are we still fighting?" Daboyins shook his head. "Actually, there's no need for us to fight. Why should we? Aren't we both trying to catch Li Banfeng? But he isn't even here right now. If we want to catch Li Banfeng, we have to find him first." Critick nodded. "Precisely. I trust you'll definitely be able to find Li Banfeng, so in the days to come, I will keep following you." Critick still had no intention of investigating on his own. He had great faith in Daboyins's abilities and planned to continue piggybacking off the famous detective's investigative results. The fine hairs on Daboyins's body quivered back and forth, his seven legs rubbing against the surrounding silk—one leg having been severed by the Tang dao. "Don't push me, you damned foreign devil." Critick smiled faintly. "What if I do, you fake foreign devil?" The two exchanged looks of mutual contempt, spat at each other in unison, and then left the alley one after the other to resume their search for Li Banfeng. *** Two hours later, Li Banfeng emerged from the Portable Abode and sprinted away, leaving Ligou behind. Fight if you can win. Run if you can't. This time, Li Banfeng was certain he was outmatched. Yet without a travel permit, how could he escape Yaowanggou? Li Banfeng turned his gaze toward the train station. If he just picked any passenger and tossed the key onto them, wouldn't he be able to leave Yaowanggou? Li Banfeng was just about to set off when he abruptly stopped in his tracks. No. Under no circumstances could he go to the train station. Absolutely not.