Chapter 43: Old Friend

This centipede in front of him was a hundred zhang long, and the toxins it contained were probably astonishingly potent. Wang Lin was no stranger to centipedes; children in mountain villages often caught small centipedes from rock crevices to play with, and some even specifically caught them to feed poultry.

Sometimes, if they were accidentally bitten by a centipede, the bitten area would swell and turn red, but as long as it was thoroughly rinsed with Qing Shui, there would be no life-threatening danger. At most, they would be confined to bed for a few days and then recover.

There was even a period when he specifically collected centipede venom. The village Doctor said that if centipede venom was used properly, it could cure diseases. Years ago, his father, to support the family, couldn't afford wood and had to cut it himself in the mountains. The cold air in the mountains was very heavy, and his father accidentally caught a cold, almost losing his life.

At that time, centipedes were included in the prescription the Doctor gave.

Although his father recovered later, he was left with a chronic illness. Every time it rained, he would suffer unbearable pain all over his body. The Doctor said centipede venom could alleviate the condition, and for this, Wang Lin caught many centipedes to treat his father.

To this day, Wang Lin still remembers those past events vividly.

Looking at the hundred zhang long centipede in front of him, Wang Lin stroked his chin and thought, if the venom of a small centipede could cure diseases, then the venom of this large centipede must be even more effective. Perhaps it could permanently remove his father's chronic illness.

However, this centipede was too large. Compared to it, Wang Lin was insignificant. He worried that he might not succeed in extracting the venom and instead get injured.

Suddenly, Wang Lin's expression changed. He remembered a folk remedy for extracting centipede venom in his village, supposedly passed down by the older generation. It involved boiling some herbs into granules, and after the centipede ate them, it would spit out its venom.

Thinking of this, he stared at the Thousand-footed Centipede, quite tempted. Without another word, he immediately walked towards the Pill Room. If there was one place in the entire School with the most complete collection of herbs, it was the Pill Room. He hadn't seen Wang Hao in four years, so this was a good opportunity to visit him.

As dusk approached, Wang Lin arrived at the Pill Room and saw Wang Hao cautiously sneaking out of a side door. Noticing Wang Lin, Wang Hao quickly put a finger to his lips, shushing him and signaling him to go outside first.

Wang Lin was startled. His Divine Sense swept out, and he found that inside the Pill Room, the Third Senior Brother was looking serious, continuously adding various medicinal ingredients into the Pill Furnace, his expression focused.

Walking not far, Wang Hao tiptoed out. He didn't speak when he saw Wang Lin, but pulled him and ran wildly until they were far away, then finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Wang Lin, I heard you participated in training four years ago. How is it? What layer of Qi Condensation are you on now?" Wang Hao asked breathlessly, a hint of pride in his expression, after catching his breath.

"The third layer of Qi Condensation… huh?" Wang Lin's Divine Sense swept over Wang Hao, who appeared transparent before him. With just one glance, he was inwardly startled. Wang Hao had reached the first layer of Qi Condensation, but his body was very strange; all the Spiritual Qi was not circulating in a normal state, but instead forged a new path, flowing in a bizarre manner.

This flow, with each cycle, would draw a trace of vital Qi from Wang Hao's five internal organs and six viscera, integrating it into the circulation.

Wang Hao smiled proudly and said, "You noticed?"

Wang Lin nodded and said in a deep voice, "Wang Hao, tell me, what exactly is going on?"

Wang Hao gave Wang Lin a mysterious look and chuckled, "This is a Cultivation Technique I secretly exchanged for. Hehe, I'll tell you in detail after I achieve Major Achievement in cultivation. Oh, right, Senior Brother Tie Zhu, what did you need me for?"

Wang Lin gave him a deep look. He always felt that Wang Hao's cultivation was too strange, but at this moment, Wang Hao was clearly quite excited, so he found it inconvenient to press further. After a moment of thought, he explained the matter of concocting the folk remedy soup.

Wang Hao immediately gave his assurance, repeatedly saying there was no problem.

The two chatted for a few more sentences, then Wang Hao left in a hurry. Wang Lin was about to return to the Medicinal Garden when his expression suddenly turned odd. He looked at the guest rooms of the Xuandao Sect Disciples in the distance, pondered for a moment, and walked towards them.

Before he even got close, he heard an exaggerated voice coming from inside.

"I say, Senior Brothers of the Hengyue School, this Flying Sword of mine is truly extraordinary! It's one of the peerless treasures of our Xuandao Sect, called the Zi Wu Golden Coin Sword. You can go and ask around. I managed to steal it with great difficulty this time. If any of you want to trade for it later, you must swear a poisonous oath not to use it at the exchange meeting three days from now, otherwise, I won't sell it!"

"Really? Is this treasure as magical as you say?" Someone immediately disbelieved.

"I, Li Shan, never lie. If you don't believe me, then forget it. I can sell this Flying Sword anywhere!"

Wang Lin had already noticed the unusual activity here, with many people gathered, Disciples from both Schools. As he walked closer, he saw a Xuandao Sect Disciple, about twenty years old, with a square face and thick eyebrows, exuding righteousness, holding a small sword made of shining blue copper coins! He stood in the center, boasting.

Around him, some Xuandao Sect Disciples showed strange expressions. One of them couldn't bear it anymore and coughed, saying, "Junior Brother Li Shan is right, the Zi Wu Golden Coin Sword is indeed one of our Xuandao Sect's treasures, but I have to say, the one in Junior Brother Li Shan's hand is a fake, though it still has some use."

Several Hengyue School Disciples discussed among themselves, and finally, a man at the fifth layer of Qi Condensation walked out. Wang Lin remembered this person's surname was Zhao. Disciple Zhao and Li Shan conversed in low voices for a long time, and after exchanging who-knows-what, both of them beamed with smiles, having reached a deal.

"It's just a common iron sword with some Shattered Spirit Gold added, and he's selling it? The Xuandao Sect is nothing special after all!" Among the Inner Sect Disciples, there were also discerning individuals who sneered.

"This Senior Brother is mistaken. My Junior Brother just clarified that it's a fake, but isn't there still someone from your Hengyue School buying it? This kind of item is best bought as a collection!" Li Shan immediately retorted.

"Senior Brother Li, you're wrong. I'm buying this broken sword not for collection, but to take home and give to my father. My family slaughters pigs, and this sword is perfect for that!" The Hengyue School Disciple surnamed Zhao, who bought the Flying Sword, changed his expression and laughed loudly.

Li Shan didn't get angry, smiling as he said, "Anyway, you bought it, I don't care what you do with it. Alright, I have another treasure here, called the Invincible Black Ash Stinking Thunderclap Bomb! This thing is a real treasure, and I'm absolutely not lying this time. We can test it on the spot!"

After speaking, he took out a dark, round ball and threw it at a nearby wall. With a loud bang, spiderweb-like cracks appeared on the wall, the surroundings became pitch black, and an foul odor emanated.

"How about it? This Invincible Black Ash Stinking Thunderclap Bomb is my unique hidden weapon, Li Shan. Although its power isn't great, if this thing hits someone, even I can't wash off the black ash. Especially this stench, which I painstakingly collected from the bodily fluids of dozens of exotic beasts to create—it's definitely a Sharp Weapon for disgusting people!" Li Shan explained with a smile, full of pride.

Everyone looked at each other, dumbfounded. Some female Disciples even covered their noses and retreated a few steps. Wang Lin was also quite surprised; a sweep of his Divine Sense suddenly made his expression turn somewhat strange.

The Disciples of the Xuandao Sect all felt rather embarrassed, but Li Shan was always known in the Xuandao Sect for making all sorts of strange and peculiar things, and few people were willing to provoke him, after all, no one wanted to be hit by a stinky bomb.

This Invincible Black Ash Stinking Thunderclap Bomb had a huge reputation within the Xuandao Sect, almost secretly comparable to several treasures within the Sect.

"How about it? I really went all out this time, but it's still the same old saying: you absolutely cannot use it during the competition three days later, otherwise, I won't sell it to you." Li Shan showed a serious expression, but inwardly he was chuckling: "You fools, the more I say this, the more you'll use it, hehe, then there will be a good show to watch. The Elders will definitely praise me when they return, maybe they'll even give me a few Magic Treasures!"