บท 7: Double Sky
At the break of dawn, with the sky still cloaked in twilight and the sun yet to rise, the group was already fully prepared to depart.
Shi Yan blended in among the drugged slaves, his expression calm and composed, showing no signs of distress. Silently, he followed the group's progress. Johnson, who had been eagerly awaiting his downfall, was taken aback to see Shi Yan so composed.
In recent days, every drugged slave who drank the poison had turned deathly pale by morning, their bodies frail and unable to bear the journey. The weaker ones could hardly walk, and even the stronger ones showed clear signs of fear and pain.
Yet, Shi Yan's steps were steady, his complexion ruddy, showing no signs of suffering, which left Johnson deeply puzzled.
After observing for a while and confirming that Shi Yan was indeed unharmed, Johnson furrowed his brow and approached the front of the group, reporting Shi Yan's situation to Mo Yan Yu and Karu.
"Leave him be," Karu said nonchalantly. "If the boy is truly a warrior, he won't show signs of weakness so easily. Once his internal energy is exhausted, he'll be no different from the others. I'm confident in the potency of the poison."
"Alright, just keep a close eye on him," Mo Yan Yu instructed coolly.
Seeing that both were so unconcerned, Johnson had nothing more to say and obediently returned to the back of the group, continuing to monitor Shi Yan closely, wary of any unusual behavior.
"Master, how long do you think it will take before he starts to suffer?" After Johnson left, Mo Yan Yu hesitated for a moment before asking Karu. She was eager to see Shi Yan in agony, writhing on the ground.
"Don't worry, by tonight it should be evident."
The day passed swiftly, and the moon quietly ascended into the night sky.
As the group settled down, Karu and Mo Yan Yu once again approached Shi Yan, only to find him sitting on the ground, devouring his meal with an appetite that seemed oblivious to the poor quality of the food.
"Master, this fellow doesn't seem…" Mo Yan Yu trailed off, her voice tinged with disbelief. Shi Yan's eating habits were far from refined, but he certainly didn't appear to be in pain.
Karu's face grew increasingly somber as he scoffed, "Are you doubting my abilities as an alchemist?"
"I wouldn't dare," Mo Yan Yu quickly shook her head. "Master has already proven the effectiveness of the poison on other slaves. I just find it strange that he seems unscathed. Could it be that something was accidentally left out in the preparation of the last dose?"
"Miss Mo, although I'm not a top-tier alchemist, I'm not careless enough to make such a mistake," Karu said, clearly displeased. "If you doubt my abilities, we can part ways right now."
"Master, please don't misunderstand," Mo Yan Yu hastily appeased him with a smile. "I'm merely curious, nothing more."
"Hmph!" Karu paid her no further attention and in a flash, he moved toward Shi Yan.
Shi Yan kept his head down, pretending not to notice Karu's approach, though inwardly he marveled at Karu's speed, grateful that he hadn't recklessly acted the previous day. Otherwise, he would have been thoroughly outmatched by Karu, who was not only an alchemist but also a warrior who had reached the innate stage, while Shi Yan had only recently begun to harness his internal energy, his martial prowess far inferior—a gulf he could not hope to bridge.
"Swoosh!"
In an instant, Karu's figure reached him, the air humming with strange sounds. He was now directly in front of Shi Yan.
Shi Yan calmed his mind, set down his food, and looked up at Karu.
Karu's thin face was cold as he swiftly grabbed Shi Yan's left arm, his bony fingers pressing against it. A thread of pure energy shot into Shi Yan's arm, coursing through his veins, making a circuit around his stomach before slowly retreating, finally disappearing into Karu's fingers.
Karu's energy was highly refined, causing Shi Yan's veins to ache as it traveled through his body.
"Hmm…" Karu muttered, frowning in confusion. "Strange, the poison is still present, yet he has energy remaining, and his stomach isn't corroded. He's just a low-level warrior; he shouldn't have such pure energy and should've been depleted by now…"
Shi Yan allowed him to hold his arm without resistance.
"Master, how is he?" Mo Yan Yu approached, curiosity evident.
"Let's wait another day and see," Karu said, his face darkening further, unable to figure out what was going on. He hadn't even considered the possibility of a "Martial Spirit" because such spirits weren't something ordinary warriors could possess, and he had never heard of one that could heal the body.
Mo Yan Yu nodded, her heart full of doubt but unable to say more. She cast a peculiar glance at Shi Yan, her thoughts full of malicious schemes.
The next night, Karu and Mo Yan Yu came again, inspecting Shi Yan's body once more. Finding that his stomach still hadn't corroded, Karu's expression grew even grimmer. He decided to wait another day.
On the third night, they came again, with Karu conducting another examination, only to find no new results.
On the fourth night, Karu came yet again.
This time, Karu held two bowls of the poison. When he reached Shi Yan, he called for a slave named Gu Luo, instructing both Shi Yan and Gu Luo to drink the newly prepared poison.
Shi Yan complied without hesitation, drinking it down.
"I prepared these two bowls of poison together," Karu said coldly after Shi Yan finished.
Mo Yan Yu nodded. "If Gu Luo's body decays, it will prove that there's something unusual about him. I understand your meaning, Master."
"Indeed," Karu agreed. "By this time tomorrow, we'll know for sure."
That night, Shi Yan sat in silence, his expression serious as he slowly circulated his internal energy.
A thread of energy extended through his main veins, nimble as it moved from one meridian to another with his focused mind, weaving through his body like a living serpent.
Gradually, the energy thread reached his right index finger. Shi Yan concentrated, and the energy slowly retreated into his arm before suddenly accelerating, surging toward his finger like a shooting star.
"Zzzz!"
A strange sound emerged from his fingertip, accompanied by a sharp pain. The energy forcefully pressed into his fingertip, causing it to tremble slightly, like the tail of a rattlesnake.
The energy gathered in his finger, trying to burst forth, but was blocked by the skin and flesh. Despite his efforts, the energy couldn't break through, unable to escape his body.
"Ah!"
With a deep sigh, Shi Yan dejectedly withdrew the energy back to his abdomen, muttering softly, "Still not enough…"
The Martial Path has three stages in the Houtian realm: the first involves harnessing energy, the second mastering its circulation through the body, and the third allowing it to break free from the body's constraints.
Shi Yan had mastered circulating energy, putting him at the second stage. Over the past few days, he had been continuously refining and gathering more energy, trying to push it out of his body and reach the third stage. But each attempt was thwarted by the barrier of flesh.
"It seems that advancing as a warrior is not something that can be rushed. The energy isn't strong enough yet; I'll have to wait until it's more refined before I can try again." After yet another failure, Shi Yan sighed, realizing that he had been too impatient, driven by the dangers surrounding him.
He knew that by tomorrow, his body would remain unscathed, unaffected by the poison. But Gu Luo, the other slave, would likely suffer severe internal damage, possibly even to the point of death.
Once Karu compared the results, he would realize that his poison was not at fault, and instead, something was different about Shi Yan's body. This would inevitably lead to new complications, and his days of relative peace might soon come to an end. Mo Yan Yu, to eliminate any potential threats, might act with lethal intent.
It was also possible that by morning, Gu Luo would already show signs of poisoning, and Shi Yan would be in grave danger. At that time, with the warriors not engrossed in cultivation, they would all be watching him closely, leaving him no opportunity.
Gazing up at the starry sky, Shi Yan's expression grew resolute. He knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to act tonight.
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