93 Chaos Rises Again
Early in the morning, everyone in Peace County woke up at sunrise.
Smoke rose in spirals. The hawkers set up their stalls, and the old farmers carried hoes and walked into the fields.
In his small courtyard, Jiang Ming withdrew his fist and stood still. His fist clenched and loosened, and a strange look flashed in his eyes.
“These mutated medicinal herbs are something else!” In just two days, Jiang Ming had taken a few pieces of mutated golden ginseng and felt that his body had changed a lot. His blood Qi was more condensed and vigorous. It was as if he were evolving.
“However, I probably won’t have the chance to attack again.”
In the past two days, the struggle for the immortal encounter in the depths of the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest had become more brutal. Blood flowed like rivers both inside and outside the forbidden zone. Even several Dao Masters had fallen. On normal days, they could establish a sect and dominate a region, but now they had died a tragic death.
Anything slightly valuable was taken away by the major families. Occasionally, some people would escape with one or two mutated flowers and plants. Jiang Ming was too lazy to chase after them. The medicinal herbs at home were enough, and it was not worth the risk.
“I’m afraid that the so-called immortal won’t be able to hold on much longer!”
According to Yu Yan’s information, the Grandmasters had killed all the Grandmaster-level ferocious beasts and fought a human who had walked out of a cave in the deepest part of the forbidden zone.
The human was wearing ancient and unfamiliar-looking robes. He was missing an arm, and his skin was cracked like porcelain. However, he was terrifyingly strong. His whole body was shining, and he was on par with thirteen Grandmasters. However, maybe it was because he was seriously injured, or maybe it was because his power was restricted, he was beaten until he coughed up blood and fled. Today, he seemed to be on the verge of death.
At noon, Yu Yan returned.
Jiang Ming looked up and felt something. This storm caused by the immortal encounter should come to an end soon.
As expected, the swift started chirping.
“The ancient human who walked out of the forbidden zone died, but before he died, he used a flying sword technique and instantly killed three Grandmasters. Then, he used an unknown secret technique to increase his combat strength and killed two more Grandmasters. However, in the blink of an eye, he died, and his physical body shattered!
“He really died…” Jiang Ming slurped some noodles, his eyes full of surprise.
Although he guessed that the person hiding in the forbidden zone was most likely not an immortal, but a cultivator or something, he was definitely an existence far beyond a Grandmaster. He was probably hiding in the Cloudy Dream Mountain Forest for some unknown reason to recuperate.
Who would have thought that after thousands of years of recuperation, his injuries would not be fully healed? Instead, a group of Grandmasters from the mortal world would steal his lair and even kill him.
How tragic!
Jiang Ming shook his head.
Everyone was going to start fighting for the immortal’s relics and so on now, and the fighting would probably get even more brutal.
“I like peace, and I can’t bear seeing stuff like this. I won’t join in.” Jiang Ming shook his head, put his hands behind his back, and strode to Li Qingqing’s stall to eat steamed buns.
Tian Anan sat on a small stool beside the chopping board, staring at Jiang Ming who was eating a steamed bun. After a long while, she muttered from the bottom of her heart, “Mama, Ming is exactly the same as the good-for-nothing you mentioned!”
Jiang Ming almost spat out the food in his mouth. He stood up angrily and ruffled Tian Anan’s hair. Then, he paid five copper coins and left in satisfaction.
The news of the situation in the forbidden zone exploded.
“The battle between Grandmasters and the search for the immortal has come to an end! The immortal’s cave was destroyed. Other than the Zheng family, whose Grandmaster died, the Liang family, Zhao family, Xu family, and other Grandmaster families all gained something. They took away a mysterious iron box, some leather bags, and other items.
“There were also some powerful Dao Masters who took advantage of the situation. After entering the cave, they escaped and fled the mountain. According to the information they exchanged earlier, they were from Qinglin Village’s martial arts school run by the Tong family of the country of Jing.”
Jiang Ming was jotting down notes in a small notebook while Yu Yan made the report. Finally, he closed the notebook with satisfaction and carefully put it away. He then mourned for the unknown immortal for a beat and then went to the bar for a drink.
A month later, the weather turned cold, and many people had already put on heavier layers.
“The weather is interesting. During the search for the immortal, spiritual energy surged out and the weather was scalding,” Jiang Ming said softly.
Were they connected?
“Regardless, it has nothing to do with me for the time being!”
He shook his head and stopped thinking about it. According to the legends, the immortal encounter would happen every few hundred years. Even if there was another change in this place, it would be several hundred years later.
At that time, it would not be too late to investigate.
Jiang Ming closed the book in his hand and walked out of the room.
It had been several days since he last recorded any new information in his notebook. The land surrounding the immortal’s lair had disappeared, the immortal’s treasures had been plundered, and the spiritual energy that had caused the flowers and plants to mutate had also disappeared.
Some people were happy. while others were sad. Some young martial artists were lucky enough to pick mutated medicinal herbs and escape. There were also unlucky Grandmaster families like the Zheng family, whose masters were killed before they could see what the immortals looked like.
“However, I’ve never heard of anyone seeing Marquis Zhou during this time. Did I guess wrong? But that’s not necessarily the case. Even a newbie like me could use a disguising technique. Marquis Zhou is at the peak of cultivation in this world. Hiding his identity would be a breeze for him. Maybe he’s already reaped the biggest benefits. If my guess is true, he’s terrifying. He’s even more sinister than me!”
In the bar, Jiang Ming sat by the window on the second floor, drinking alone.
“Jiang Ming!”
A burly figure walked over with majestic steps and laughed. He suddenly sat opposite Jiang Ming.
“Master Guan!” Jiang Ming smiled.
As expected, Wei Yan was quite competent. He had noticed that something was wrong. The martial artists of the Flying Cloud Castle only moved outside the forbidden zone. Although they did not get any immortal treasures, they did get many mutated medicinal herbs, and their casualties were almost negligible.
Those herbs were enough to cultivate a large number of extraordinary martial artists for the Flying Cloud Castle. Even some Grandmaster families might not have gained as much as the Flying Cloud Castle.
In the past month, Jiang Ming had been hanging out with his old friends from the Tiger Hunting Village.
“Today is the last meal I’ll have with you. I don’t know when I’ll be able to find you for a drink again!” Guan Feng unceremoniously poured himself a big glass of wine and suddenly said.
Jiang Ming had already expected this, so he raised his glass and said, “Then I’ll you the best! Have a safe journey!”
Countless martial artists died because of the disturbance caused by the immortal encounter. The Grandmasters had fallen, the aristocratic families were in chaos, and the situation inside and outside the country was unstable.
The country of Yan, which had lasted for more than two hundred years, seemed to have finally come to its end. However, the immortal encounter was just a fuse. From the time the Green Mountain Army rose up, the country of Yan started to decline.
The two of them drank until late at night before they returned to their respective homes.
The next morning, all the members of Tiger Hunting Village were ready to go. Jiang Ming came to see them off. He found Guan Feng and handed him a package.
“I’ve been collecting herbs in the mountains and studying pharmacology. I’ve written a book of prescriptions here. It’s inevitable to get injured in wars. Therefore, I hope it’ll be of some use,” Jiang Ming said with a smile. He had learned martial arts for free in Tiger Hunting Village. Other than hunting some prey on the mountain, he had not made any contributions. Today he would repay that debt.
Guan Feng had wanted to refuse, but after hearing that it was just a book of prescriptions compiled by Jiang Ming, he nodded and accepted it.
However, he did not know that the value of Jiang Ming’s book of prescriptions was probably more precious than ordinary first-grade martial arts techniques. Many of the prescriptions recorded in it were never recorded before.
Then, Jiang Ming bid farewell to Fang Lie, Peng Lu, and his other old friends one by one. Pharmacist Feng was also with them. His hair was a brilliant white now.
“Everyone, we’ll meet again if fate allows it!” Jiang Ming stood on the side of the road and watched the carriages leave.