29: Let him have a taste of his own medicine!

The matter of the Demon Suppression Baptism had concluded, but the atmosphere within the Mu Shi County Demon Suppression Division outpost felt as if it had been stirred up, carrying an indescribable, subtle tension.

Wherever Li Dong went now, the feeling was different.

Before, he was, at most, a promising newcomer. Now?

Heh, he was a walking 'Extraordinary' rating, a formidable individual who had endured Deputy Hall Master's assassination attempt and achieved Foundation Establishment on the spot!

Those deacons and team members, upon seeing him, would either lower their heads from a distance or look at him with a mixture of reverence and a hint of... well, complexity.

In short, no one dared to treat him as the country bumpkin they could easily manipulate anymore.

As for the other protagonist, Deputy Hall Master Zhao Zhen, his situation was truly a world apart.

Before, wherever he went, wasn't he always surrounded by followers, radiating prestige?

Now?

Heh, everyone avoided him like the plague, getting as far away as possible.

Even his few trusted subordinates who hadn't been dealt with yet couldn't walk with their backs straight; they constantly felt countless scornful gazes piercing their spines.

Zhao Zhen had completely lost face this time; his reputation?

That thing had probably fallen into a latrine and been stomped on a few times.

It's said that when one is unlucky, even drinking cold water can get stuck in their teeth.

Zhao Zhen's injuries were originally caused by Li Dong's counterattack combined with the Baptism Altar's backlash. Yet, in the past few days, he couldn't suppress them; instead, due to his exasperation and burning rage, his internal injuries worsened rapidly.

Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he dejectedly announced his secluded cultivation for healing.

Outwardly, it was for healing, but who wasn't clear in their heart? This old fox was too ashamed to face people and had gone into hiding!

Of course, this seclusion wasn't necessarily all bad.

At least, in the short term, he couldn't personally jump out and cause trouble for Li Dong.

But could this old fox stay idle? He was probably brewing something even more sinister in some dark corner, and as for time, he certainly had plenty of it now.

Li Dong didn't relax his vigilance just because Zhao Zhen was in 'seclusion'.

Are you kidding? Dealing with such an old schemer, one wouldn't even know how they died if they were less cunning. As he wandered around the outpost these past few days, the System's keen perception wasn't idle; it always caught a few faint, malicious gazes, all from those staunch subordinates of Zhao Zhen.

These guys were probably secretly plotting how to avenge their master. Unfortunately, Li Dong was now a Foundation Establishment expert, shielded by an 'Extraordinary' rating, not to mention that Elder Zhang Wu clearly supported him. Even if they had the guts, they wouldn't dare openly cause trouble. At most, they would just grind their teeth behind his back and utter a few harmless threats.

Speaking of Zhang Wu, this fellow wasn't idle. As soon as Zhao Zhen 'secluded' himself, he immediately began a major cleanup. His actions were swift and decisive, taking advantage of the situation to clear out Zhao Zhen's cronies who had been placed in key positions. They were either directly transferred or assigned to execute arduous, exhausting, and extremely dangerous missions.

Things like guarding the Yao Beast dung pit, or patrolling the border—anything to make their lives miserable. This move was clearly a warning, telling everyone: 'You touch someone I, Zhang Wu, protect? This is the consequence!' It also helped Li Dong vent his anger. This level of control, tsk tsk, was Elder Zhang paving the way for him? Li Dong understood perfectly.

Now, the wind direction in the outpost became even clearer.

Those who had eagerly flocked to curry favor with Li Dong after the Baptism, like Zhou Shaoyang, seeing Zhao Zhen's complete loss of power, redoubled their efforts to fawn over him. They practically ran to Li Dong's place three times a day, offering greetings and concern as basic operations, and even proactively 'leaked' information, providing tidbits about Zhao Zhen and his subordinates—like how much resources Zhao Zhen had embezzled, or which subordinate had improper conduct—attempting to gain Li Dong's favor with these 'tokens of allegiance'.

'Brother Li, let me tell you, that old fox Zhao Zhen is more cunning than a hornet's nest; I get trypophobia just looking at him! His nephew isn't a good person either...' Zhou Shaoyang chattered, spitting as he spoke, appearing to pour out his heart.

Li Dong was as clear as a mirror about these opportunists. He remained expressionless, neither close nor distant, but he accepted all the 'intelligence' they offered. This allowed him to gain a deeper understanding of Zhao Zhen's background, connections, and the network he had cultivated in the Mu Shi County outpost for many years, using these people's mouths. Knowing oneself and one's enemy is always beneficial.

On this day, Li Dong was sitting cross-legged in his room, consolidating his Foundation Establishment Stage - Early Phase cultivation, when suddenly, the System's prompt sounded in his mind.

【Ding! Detected a faint negative energy intrusion from a specific direction. Energy nature: Curse (Inferior).】

Curse?

Li Dong slowly opened his eyes, a cold glint flashing through them. He carefully sensed it, and indeed, there was an extremely faint yet sinister and malicious aura, like an invisible venomous snake, attempting to burrow into his body. Although this intensity, for his current Foundation Establishment Realm cultivation and System-protected body, was akin to a tickle, unable to even stir a ripple.

But its nature was utterly disgusting!

'Heh, Zhao Zhen, you old dog, you can't win openly, so you resort to these despicable tricks?' Li Dong's lips curved into a sarcastic smile. 'Is it very fulfilling to be a maggot hiding in a ditch? You love cleaning dirty things so much; you must have meticulously washed your own diapers when you were little, right?'

It seemed this old fox wasn't idle during his seclusion. What kind of evil curse was he casting on himself?

You want to make my life difficult? Fine.

Li Dong's thoughts stirred, and he brought up the System interface. Since you want to play dirty, this young master will play along. He wasn't some saint who would take a beating without fighting back.

He consumed a small amount of previously accumulated experience points and began to deduce a countermeasure within the System. It didn't need to be too complex, just enough to send this disgusting thing back exactly as it came. Returning the favor in kind—he liked that best.

Soon, a technique based on Mental Energy guidance and resonant energy wave counter-shock was simulated. Simple, efficient, and silent.

Li Dong adjusted his breathing, his Mental Energy subtly extending, accurately capturing that wisp of sinister curse energy. It was like grabbing the slippery tail of a small snake. Then, following the method deduced by the System, he slightly simulated his own spiritual power to match the curse energy's fluctuations, and then sharply 'flicked' it!

Buzz!

An invisible wave, following the path from which the curse energy had come, silently bounced back.

At the same time, deep within the Demon Suppression Division outpost, in a dark, damp secret chamber.

Zhao Zhen was sitting cross-legged on a foul-smelling futon, his face pale, with a trace of dried blood still on the corner of his mouth. Before him was a crude altar, on which lay a straw effigy. Several black needles were stuck into the effigy's chest, and a talisman inscribed with Li Dong's birth characters (which he had, of course, fabricated) was affixed to it.

He was gritting his teeth, urging the scant spiritual power remaining in his body, mixed with a resentful mental intention, to continuously pour into the straw effigy. He muttered incantations, all of them extremely vicious curses.

Just as he felt the curse power had been successfully sent out, and a sinister grin was about to appear on his lips... Suddenly!

An incredibly familiar, yet strangely distorted, chilling power emerged from the Void Realm without warning, slamming violently into his chest!

The feeling was as if his own curse had been intercepted, then enhanced, and returned with double the power!

'Pfft—!'

Zhao Zhen was struck hard, spitting out a large mouthful of black blood. His vision instantly darkened, and he almost collapsed on the spot. His chest churned with Qi and blood, and his Meridians felt as if countless steel needles were piercing them, causing excruciating pain!

'What's going on?! Backlash?! Impossible! How could my secret art suffer such a severe backlash?!' He clutched his chest, his face filled with horror and disbelief. This backlash force was ten times more violent than his worst-case scenario! He couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Had the Baptism's backlash worsened?

In Li Dong's room.

He clearly sensed the chaotic and painful energy fluctuations from a distance, coming from Zhao Zhen's direction.

'Heh.'

Li Dong picked up the freshly brewed tea on the table, gently blowing on the steam.

You want to scheme against me? First, taste the flavor of your own doing.

Old dog, this is only the beginning.

He took a sip of tea, his gaze calm, as if nothing had just happened.