Chapter 833: A Sleepless Night, Forced to Follow the Current
Zheshou stared at the deep pit in the grass, lost in thought.
Chen Changsheng, Nanke, and Guan Feibai walked over. Scattered across the grass were some gray chunks of flesh, looking quite disgusting—presumably remnants of the monster.
Such a commotion in the rear garden of the Dao Hall naturally alarmed many people. Linghai Zhiwang, Anlin, and the Wenshui Bishop, who had been sent on errands, all rushed over.
No one spoke; they simply looked at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng said, "If I'm not mistaken, this monster is the Chusu I asked you to investigate earlier."
Linghai Zhiwang asked, "The Longevity Sect?"
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, "I suspect it's the result of the previous Longevity Sect Sect Leader severing his corpse before his death."
Linghai Zhiwang and the others were well-versed in such matters. Hearing the term "severing the corpse," and recalling the sinister Dao technique Chen Changsheng had mentioned earlier, their expressions shifted slightly.
Guan Feibai was more concerned with another issue. He looked at Chen Changsheng and asked, "Chusu? Which two characters?"
Chen Changsheng said, "It should be the two characters you're thinking of."
Earlier, when he heard the name Chusu, Guan Feibai had found it strange, feeling an inexplicable chill. Now he finally understood why. He said in a deep voice, "So even today, the Longevity Sect still hasn't forgotten the grudges of the past. And they think a monster like this can deal with Grandmaster Uncle?"
Zheshou said, "This monster has formidable cultivation, pure Dao techniques, and an evil aura. The most troublesome thing is its sinister poison and speed, along with its ability to burrow underground. It could appear near us at any time, making it terrifying for sneak attacks and assassinations."
He was the most fearsome stalker and assassin on the snowy plains. Now even he admitted the monster was dangerous.
Hearing this, the scene fell into silence.
The Dao Hall was protected by formations, and Guan Feibai was nearby, yet the monster had still managed to approach Chen Changsheng silently and launch a treacherous ambush. Even more terrifying was that, after consecutive fierce attacks from Guan Feibai, Nanke, and Zheshou, the monster had only been injured, not killed on the spot.
These three were still young, but among the current generation of cultivators, they were undoubtedly the most formidable.
This monster was far from enough to deal with Su Li, but if it lurked nearby, ready to strike at any moment, it would indeed be very hard to guard against.
"Everyone should be more careful from now on."
Chen Changsheng looked at Guan Feibai and said, "Especially you. When you encounter Chusu in the future, don't easily use those life-for-life killing moves. I haven't come into contact with it, but I can sense that its sinister poison is very troublesome. I might not even be able to neutralize it."
He was referring to earlier, when Guan Feibai had been about to use the final form of the Lishan Sword Sect's technique to fight the monster head-on.
"I'll be more cautious in the future. What about you? Are you injured?" Guan Feibai looked at Chen Changsheng's ankle.
Chen Changsheng said, "It's nothing."
Some black, flocculent residue had lingered on his ankle earlier, but it had already withered and been blown away by the night breeze.
Guan Feibai then looked at Nanke, thinking, you crashed directly into that monster earlier—weren't you worried about being poisoned?
Then he remembered her true identity and realized he was overthinking.
The bloodline of the Yue Bird was the ultimate toxic substance in the world; why would it fear any other sinister poison?
Linghai Zhiwang suddenly looked sternly at Chen Changsheng and said, "I implore Your Majesty to act more cautiously in the future. Do not repeat what happened just now."
Earlier, Chen Changsheng had sent them all away on tasks, not even keeping Nanke close for protection, standing alone by the water in contemplation.
In his view, this was extremely unwise and an irresponsible act toward the billions of believers of the State Church.
Chen Changsheng understood his good intentions and said, "Don't worry. It's just that my injuries haven't fully healed, and my qi sense was a bit slow to react, which allowed it to take advantage. It won't happen again."
With that, he looked toward the opposite bank of the river.
Such a huge disturbance had occurred in the Dao Hall, yet the other side remained so quiet, with no one appearing.
Only the distant barking of a few dogs could be heard.
The shadows of the riverside buildings fell on the street and on the water's surface, hiding who knows what.
...
...
Perhaps it was because the wine in Wenshui City was too potent, or because the setting sun had made people too warm and lazy, Rob hadn't left after drinking at the tavern. He had directly checked into the inn behind it, slept until late into the night, and then woken up for no apparent reason.
He walked into the shadows of the alley beside the tavern, looked at the river not far away, and wanted to confirm whether his feeling from the day had been an illusion.
He didn't see that clump of waterweed, because by then, it had already approached the opposite bank, slipping through the cracks between the rocks into the underground of the Dao Hall.
Everything that followed fell within his sight.
That monster was indeed unexpectedly ferocious and terrifying, so much so that he instinctively gripped his sword hilt.
He hadn't acted at first because he was very curious about Chen Changsheng's true level of strength.
He hadn't expected to then see his junior brother.
He still didn't act, because he trusted his junior brother.
Of course, this was also because he was confident he could control the entire situation.
Under the starlight, the Wenshui River looked like a spread-out silver ribbon, very wide.
If Chen Changsheng or his junior brother truly encountered danger they couldn't resolve, his sword would naturally cross the river, regardless of its width.
What happened next, he also hadn't expected.
Chen Changsheng and his junior brother had failed to capture or kill the monster that had ambushed them.
That monster could actually use earth escape (dun), and its speed was astonishing; it had vanished into the depths of the Wenshui River in an instant.
All these unexpected events eventually turned into a frustrating truth for him.
He had simply been unable to sleep in the middle of the night, gotten up to take a casual stroll, and planned to go back for a nice, satisfying second sleep.
But instead, he had to witness such a commotion, and only he had seen where the monster ultimately went.
So, he had no choice but to follow.
...
...
That monster was deep underwater, using the mud and sand for cover, moving silently forward, still very fast.
Rob leaped between the civilian houses along the street, using the shadows of the eaves and the occasional clouds drifting across the night sky to conceal his figure, equally silent and swift.
In the end, he still couldn't catch up to the monster. He only saw a faint ripple stir on the Wenshui River, then turn into a right-hand waterway and disappear into a manor.
He took out his charcoal pencil and drawing paper, sketching the final scene he had seen. The starry sky above the manor and the countless lights within were all rendered with vivid realism.
That manor was truly vast. The buildings inside looked ordinary on the outside, but an air of refined nobility was unmistakable.
Then he noticed that he was standing outside the side gate of another manor.
The two manors faced each other across the river, both ablaze with countless lights, not seeming desolate even in the dead of night.
He walked into the manor.
Perhaps because the master of this manor was gravely ill and near death, and the young master was imprisoned in the ancestral hall, the people's morale had scattered, and the defenses weren't too strict. Especially in the outer civilian houses and small courtyards, voices could be heard from time to time, making it somewhat noisy. In contrast, the ornate courtyard in the center was much more serene.
In that ornate courtyard, he saw an elderly loyal servant with a face full of worry and a maidservant with a sorrowful expression.
Then, he heard an argument coming from a side gate.
"Use your heads! The eldest master is about to die. Who would still dare to contend with the second master?"
"The Pope? This is the Tang Clan of Wenshui. We don't need to give face to anyone!"
"Don't think that just because the Pope has arrived, the main branch has backing. Otherwise, why is that prodigal still kneeling in the ancestral hall?"