18: Chapter 18 The Scent of the Mist, Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole

The engraving knife used to carve the Formation base seemed to come alive in Lin Chen's hand, its cold tip gliding across the rough stone surface under the dim light, kicking up fine stone dust and creating a teeth-grinding "creak" sound.

He needed absolute focus.

This was not just about carving a few runes; it was about using his limited Spiritual Qi to place the first chess piece for tomorrow's gamble, where life and death hung in the balance.

The horizon had just begun to show a hint of white, and morning mist still shrouded the narrow alleys of Black Stone Town.

A-Tu had already tucked two cold, hard steamed buns into his clothes and silently pushed open the back door of the Lin residence.

He did not head straight to the east of town as usual, but instead took his time circling twice around the streets in the town center where the earliest crowds appeared.

His gaze swept seemingly casually over every early-rising vendor and every townsman hurrying by with shoulder poles, but in reality, he was carefully discerning whether any unwanted shadows were trailing behind him.

After confirming no one was following, he lowered the brim of his hat, quickened his pace, and ducked into the smoky, bustling entrance of Master Zhang's blacksmith shop.

"Clang! Bang! Clang! Bang!"

Master Wang, shirtless, was swinging a large hammer, sending sparks flying everywhere.

A-Tu did not walk closer but stood at the entrance, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Master Wang! Is that custom-made thick-backed hoe that my master ordered finished yet? He instructed to have it delivered to the old banyan tree three miles south of town; he needs to open up a new field there today and is in a rush to use it!"

His voice was loud and clear, enough for the few passersby inside and outside the shop to hear perfectly.

Master Wang was stunned by his shout, stopped his work, and wiped his sweat with a confused expression. Just as he was about to ask, "What custom hoe?", he saw A-Tu, with his back to the outside, frantically winking and gesturing at him.

Master Wang was a rough man, but not a stupid one.

Recalling the authority Lin Chen had established in Black Stone Town recently, his heart gave a jolt. He immediately changed his tune, gave a vague "Oh," and replied in a gruff voice: "Good, good... I know. I'll send it over once I finish with this furnace fire!"

A-Tu said no more, fished a few copper coins from his bosom, and placed them with a "slap" on the edge of the water vat nearby as a delivery fee, then left quickly without looking back.

Not long after he left, an old man carrying manure buckets, who was out early collecting manure, passed by the blacksmith shop, poked his head in to chat with Master Wang for a few sentences, and then strolled away slowly.

In the dilapidated earth house within the ruin district.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing across them.

He hadn't closed his eyes all night; his Divine Sense, like an invisible net, enveloped a small portion of Black Stone Town.

He had long since clearly identified the few weak Spiritual Qi fluctuations in the town. Among them, the one three miles south of town had the most active Spiritual Qi; although faint, it was like an oil lamp in the dark, clearly marking the location.

This vaguely aligned with the clue about the "good harvest in the spiritual field" he had obtained while torturing Old Zhou last night, making him increasingly believe that was where Lin Chen's Foundation lay.

Just now, the commotion at the blacksmith shop and the chatter of that old manure collector had reached his ears, word for word.

He walked to the corner of the room and kicked the curled-up Old Zhou.

"Your master is going to open a new field three miles south of town today?"

Old Zhou had been tortured all night and was already delirious, with only breaths going out and none coming in.

Hearing the question, he just shook his head blankly and instinctively, emitting indistinct "wuwu" sounds from his throat.

"Still playing dumb." A cruel, cold smile curled at the corners of Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's mouth.

This old thing's stubbornness only served as the best proof.

He decided not to waste any more time and would personally go to that "old banyan tree" to meet this Junior Brother Lin Chen who had "obtained a great Opportunity."

Before leaving, he tore off an even dirtier rag, stuffed it tightly into Old Zhou's mouth, tied him up tighter, dragged him into a dilapidated cellar covered by weeds in the corner of the earth house, and finally covered the opening tightly with a heavy wooden board.

After doing all this, he flashed away and silently left the dilapidated house, like a lone wolf eyeing its prey, sneaking toward the south of town.

Three miles south of town, under the old banyan tree.

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and Lin Chen's figure was already waiting here.

He wore the most ordinary short shirt, with only an unremarkable grey Storage Pouch hanging at his waist, looking just like an ordinary farmer preparing to work in the fields.

He squatted beside the gnarled tree roots, his fingers stained with damp soil, slowly poking at the ground as if checking the soil quality.

But with every stroke of his fingers, he would silently bury a Low-Grade Spirit Stone, already engraved with simple runes, precisely into several unremarkable corners around the banyan tree.

This Formation was extremely crude and could not even draw in Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to form a stable gathering effect. Its only function was, when activated, to briefly and violently disturb the Spiritual Qi flow in this area, like throwing a handful of rocks into a pool of still water.

Meanwhile, a hundred zhang away, behind a dense bush on higher ground, Su Qingyao had almost merged with the shadows.

She held her breath, clutching a small porcelain bottle with the stopper already removed.

The bottle mouth was plugged with a damp cloth, and a faint, barely perceptible wisp of grey smoke was mixing into the morning mist, drifting slowly with the breeze toward the old banyan tree.

Her heart was beating fast, every pulse like a drum, her fingertips pressing hard against the cold bottle, leaving a clear white mark.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng did not swagger over from the main road.

He had changed into an unremarkable brown outfit and restrained his cultivation at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Peak to the extreme, approaching slowly from the side woods like an experienced hunter.

When he was still a hundred zhang from the old banyan tree, he stopped, his Divine Sense probing out like flowing mercury, instantly locking onto the figure under the banyan tree.

It really was Lin Chen! He was facing away from him, bent over, seemingly digging at something on the ground.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng felt a surge of wild joy; it was the excitement of prey already in the cage, but years of caution forced him to suppress the urge to pounce and kill immediately—it was too smooth.

He slowed his pace, his Divine Sense scanning every inch of land and every leaf around him even more meticulously.

Just then, he felt a very weak sense of sluggishness in his Divine Sense, as if the tentacles he had probed out were gently wrapped by an invisible veil, and the scenery in the distance blurred for a moment.

At the same time, the tip of his nose caught a faint, strange scent, like rotting herbs mixed with soil.

He frowned slightly. "Residual miasma from the mountains?"

This thought flashed through his mind. In such a desolate mountain wilderness, it was perfectly normal to have some residual miasma.

He didn't pay too much attention to it, just secretly diverted a wisp of Spiritual Qi to protect his nose and mouth, and continued to approach silently.

Fifty zhang away. Lin Chen, who was squatting on the ground, seemed like a startled rabbit, suddenly standing up and turning around abruptly.

When he saw that the person coming was Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng, the "shock" and "panic" on his face were textbook perfect.

He instinctively took half a step back, one hand pressing tightly on the Storage Pouch at his waist, his fierce-looking but weak demeanor looking exactly like a thief whose secret had been exposed.

Seeing him like this, the last bit of doubt in Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's heart vanished.

"Junior Brother Lin Chen, how have you been?" He wore a cruel smile like a cat playing with a mouse, no longer hiding his aura. "This senior brother has had such a hard time finding you."

Before the words faded, his Spiritual Pressure at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Peak erupted!

Like an invisible boulder weighing ten thousand jun, it fiercely crushed down toward Lin Chen!

Lin Chen let out a muffled groan, his face instantly turning pale, his figure swaying like a blade of grass in a gale, almost forced to his knees by the pressure.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng was very satisfied with this effect. He approached step by step, enjoying the other's fear: "Hand over your Opportunity, and also, Junior Sister Su Qingyao should be with you, right? Hand her over too, and this senior brother might consider giving you a quick death."

"In your dreams!" Lin Chen gritted his teeth, a flash of "desperate" madness in his eyes. He suddenly pulled a yellowed Talisman from his Storage Pouch, frantically injected the little remaining Spiritual Qi in his body into it, activated it, and threw it fiercely at Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng!

The Talisman made a "poof" sound in the air and transformed into three half-foot-long ice cones, whistling toward him with chilling cold air!

"A First-Grade Low Grade Ice Talisman? Is this all you have left?"

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's mouth was full of sneers. He couldn't even be bothered to dodge, just waved his hand casually, and a phantom of a small earthy-yellow shield appeared in front of him, emitting a few crisp "ding-dang" sounds, easily shattering the three ice cones.

He sneered, his pace suddenly quickening, his five fingers turning into claws, and with a sharp whistling sound, he went straight for Lin Chen's throat!

Just at the moment Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's figure closed within thirty zhang, all the panic, shock, and despair in Lin Chen's eyes... vanished, replaced by a coldness that was extreme in its calmness!

He stomped his foot heavily onto the ground beneath him!

Hum—the several Spirit Stones buried underground instantly lit up with a faint light, then quickly dimmed.

The Spiritual Qi flow within dozens of zhang was like being fiercely stirred by an invisible hand, suddenly becoming chaotic and unbearable!

At the same time, the distant Su Qingyao poured out all the remaining soul-disrupting incense ash from the porcelain bottle, activated it with her last bit of Spiritual Qi, and transformed it into a thick, visible grey smoke, which, aided by the wind, flooded the forest with a roar!

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's Divine Sense instantly felt like it had fallen into a thick quagmire, sluggish beyond compare!

The scene before his eyes also began to distort and sway; the previously clear figure of Lin Chen became blurred, flickering, and even pulled out several afterimages!

"Not good!" He was shocked; this was definitely not ordinary miasma!

He hurriedly stopped, his Spiritual Qi at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Peak erupting without reservation, attempting to disperse this strange mist, while simultaneously pushing that small earthy-yellow shield to its limit to protect his whole body.

"Petty tricks!" He roared, but his forward movement had clearly become much more cautious.

This was the opening!

Lin Chen's figure retreated violently, but not in the direction of Black Stone Town; instead, he dashed toward the side completely opposite to the ruin district—that desolate land with low-lying terrain, sparse vegetation, and faint earthy-yellow miasma!

"Want to run?!" Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng laughed in extreme anger.

In his view, this was just Lin Chen's final struggle.

He absolutely could not let this fat duck that was already in his mouth fly away!

He didn't even think, following that figure that was flickering in and out of sight under the influence of the soul-disrupting incense, and gave chase madly!

The two, one chasing and one fleeing, were both moving at extreme speed, and soon they plunged into that low-lying area radiating a decaying aura.

At the edge of the low-lying area, under a few dead shrubs, lay the pale bones of several small wild beasts, flickering in and out of sight in the earthy-yellow miasma.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng pursued relentlessly, and before he knew it, he had gone deep into the center of the low-lying area.

The color of the miasma here was thicker, and that decaying smell almost wanted to drill into his bones.

Suddenly, he felt a needle-like burning pain in his lungs, and the high-speed Spiritual Qi running in his body suddenly stalled!

"Not good! It's toxic miasma!" Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's expression changed drastically; this miasma could actually penetrate his protective Spiritual Qi!

He made a decisive decision, immediately holding his breath, and prepared to withdraw and retreat.

Just at the moment when his Spiritual Qi operation experienced this one-thousandth of a second of stagnation!

From the miasma on the left, a bone-chilling cold light flashed out without warning!

A refined iron short sword, infused with all of Lin Chen's Spiritual Qi, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, pierced straight at his unguarded left ribs at an extremely tricky angle!

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng, in his shock, forced his body to twist in a hurry.

"Puchi!" The short sword grazed his waist, the sharp blade instantly breaking through his protective Spiritual Qi, bringing up a trail of scarlet blood!

Intense pain came, but Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng was, after all, at the Ninth Level of Qi Refining Peak, and his combat experience was far beyond what Lin Chen could compare to.

While injured, he backhanded a palm, wrapped in furious Spiritual Qi, and slammed it solidly onto Lin Chen's left shoulder!

"Crack!" Lin Chen only felt an irresistible giant force come, a sharp pain of bones shattering came from his left shoulder, and his whole body, as if hit by a heavy blow, flew backward like a cannonball, smashing heavily onto the ground several zhang away, spitting out a large mouthful of blood.

Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng also staggered half a step. He looked down at the wound on his waist that was deep enough to see bone; a numb and itchy feeling was spreading rapidly from the wound to the surroundings, the miasma poison was seeping in!

He was shocked and angry, and wary of this strange toxic miasma, not daring to chase anymore.

He stared fixedly at the dense miasma where Lin Chen had fallen, the killing intent in his eyes almost solidifying.

"Lin Chen! I want you to die without a burial place!"

He roared, his voice echoing over the low-lying area.

Covering his bleeding wound, he identified the direction, turned around, and stumbled out of the low-lying area; he must immediately find a safe place to force out the miasma poison!

Deep in the dense miasma, Lin Chen knelt on the ground, holding his completely collapsed and numb left shoulder tightly with his right hand, forcefully suppressing the urge to faint.

Listening to Outer Sect Deacon Wang Heng's retreating roar, he did not hesitate at all, identified the direction, and toward the mountain forest on the other side, completely opposite to the ruin district and the Lin residence, he stumbled and disappeared into the vast miasma and twilight.

He did not return directly to the residence.

Like a wounded lone wolf, he circled a huge loop through the mountain forest, covering his bloodstains with mud and grass juice, until dusk, when he confirmed there was no possibility of being tracked, he slipped silently from a hidden path in the back mountain that only he knew down to the back courtyard wall of the Lin residence, and flipped in.

Su Qingyao had already been waiting inside the back door for a whole day.

When she saw Lin Chen walking in covered in blood, with his left shoulder collapsed at a strange angle, that face which was already devoid of color instantly turned as white as a sheet of paper.

Her lips trembled violently, as if she wanted to call his name, but she bit them hard, not letting herself make any sound.

Tears were spinning wildly in her eyes, but she forced them back.

She stepped forward quickly, using her thin body to carefully support his tottering frame, and helped him into that Meditation Room permeated with the scent of medicine.

Almost at the same time, A-Tu also, according to previous instructions, carried the already dying Old Zhou out from the cellar.

In the inner room of the Lin residence, the candle flames flickered.

Su Qingyao found a sharp pair of scissors from the medicine box, her trembling hands taking a few deep breaths before stabilizing.

She leaned close to Lin Chen, carefully cutting toward the clothing on his left shoulder that had long been soaked in dark red blood and stuck to the wound.