A Night of Desperation

Chapter 290: Anning 2

As evening approached, Yu Hong went out again in search of food and unexpectedly received reply messages from Song Siyu, Gao Wen, and Wei Chengjun. They said they had taken down his phone number and would contact him when they had the chance.

This surprised him a bit since his relationship with the three was not particularly close; he had only saved them once on Huangsong Island.

Although they owed him a big favor, their relationship was not well-established.

However, the replies from the three of them provided Yu Hong with another channel for gathering information.

So, during his beef soup noodle lunch that afternoon, Yu Hong sent out his questions to the three people while inside the restaurant.

The responses came quickly.

Wei Chengjun: "I’m not very clear on the situation on the island. It seems that the maritime police department has requested the help of Taoist Sect experts to perform rites, and now it’s completely locked down. No one is allowed to enter."

Gao Wen: "The maritime police have sealed off the island. I heard that Zihe Palace’s experts were called upon to take action, this one’s definitely settled! Rest easy, by the way, do you have time to come to my company? With your skills and physique, you could easily take part in some competitions and then join in on the training. You’d definitely make money!"

Song Siyu: "It was Elder Yang who invited the Taoist Ku Chan from Zihe Palace, a top-tier talent known as the Dragon of Xianglv among the Innate Nine Sects. He’s rumored to be cultivated as the future Palace Master of Zihe Palace. To put it simply, a big player has stepped up, an elite has taken action, so we don’t need to worry anymore!"

It was clear that Song Siyu, with the most powerful family influence, had the most reliable information and the most detailed updates.

Yu Hong continued eating his noodles while separately sending messages of thanks to each of the three.

’It seems that the Nine Sects have indeed intervened and dealt with the hidden danger on Huangsong Island. To be able to resolve a threat capable of eroding the Black Ship, indeed, the waters here are deeper than I imagined.’

What was the last monster to corrode the Black Ship?

It was Agrius, the Dragon of Xianglv from Prison Island!

Strictly speaking, Agrius could be considered a Level Nine Black Disaster, with both its dangerousness and threat level approaching the strongest below War Level.

’Of course, I can’t be so certain, given that the land of vitality found by the Black Ship has unpredictable levels of danger. There are creatures like Agrius, as well as those of about Level Five or Six as seen before.’

After dinner, Yu Hong walked out of the beef soup restaurant and continued to inquire about things like the Red Plum Inn using his mobile phone.

Now that he knew Song Siyu had the most reliable information, he skipped the mass messages and contacted only Song directly.

Before long, a swift response came after he sent his questions.

Song Siyu called directly.

"Yu Big Brother, can you hear me?" Song Siyu’s clear and earnest voice came through the speaker.

"Yes, I can hear you. Go ahead," Yu Hong replied.

"In Taizhou, I didn’t pay attention to these things before. But after encountering danger this time, my parents sought an expert in the field to explain the current situation to me in detail."

"Mm, what’s up?"

"There’s been a significant increase in missing and murder cases in Taizhou. This is related to the terror organization and cult called the Mud Doll Sect."

"Mud Doll Sect?"

"Yes, this force has been around for quite some time, but they’ve always kept themselves well-hidden. With the situation on Huangsong Island, some suspect they’re behind it." Song Siyu hadn’t slacked off in learning during these past days.

"Does the Mud Doll Sect have any distinctive features?" Yu Hong abruptly recalled the several people he saw in the alley before, including glimpses of the black tattoos on their necks.

"I haven’t heard of any such thing. Right now, my dad has grounded me, even confiscating all my live broadcast equipment... sigh..." Song Siyu said, resigned.

Yu Hong offered a few words of comfort, then hung up the phone.

Having confirmed his suspicions about Huangsong Island and assured that the Nine Sects did indeed have strong experts at hand, he felt more at ease.

At least in this place, if the sky fell, there would be someone tall to hold it up. Unlike at the camp, where he supposed there was no one stronger than him in the world, he was the tall one.

Now the Taiyuan True Method was advancing rapidly, and the practice of the Guanwu Skill had begun reaching the Third Layer.

Everything was developing in a positive direction.

As for something like the Mud Doll Sect, he was already not the tall one to deal with it.

*

*

*

In a secluded bar in the suburbs of Taizhou,

The pale green lights turned the entire bar into a sea of green.

In a booth directly opposite the bar counter,

Three young men and women with dyed purple-black hair sat facing each other, casually snacking on fruits and veggies on the low table.

"The Taoist Ku Chan from Zihe Palace of the Taoist Sect has arrived, everyone keep a low profile, don’t make any big moves," a handsome short-haired man with purple earrings advised, holding a phone in one hand without lifting his head.

"You already reminded us yesterday," the purple-haired girl said impatiently.

"Say it again, to reinforce it," the handsome man put down his phone and glanced at her.

"Can we do something big after Ku Chan leaves?" the girl asked.

"It’s better not to; staying discreet is preferable," the man answered.

"Are you worried about the local Qingchen Temple?"

"No, Qingchen Temple is just a bunch of fake Daoists who only care about money, they have no real skills, their Daoist Skills are long neglected and in disrepair, they’d be easy to get rid of. If it weren’t for the fear of the Nine Sects finding out, Taizhou would have been our turf long ago." The man shook his head.

"What is it then?" The girl frowned.

"Two Special Envoys have come from the province, very skilled at investigating. They’ve already reached our peripheral low-level members and caught over ten people. It’s a thorny issue."

"Then just kill them."

"It’s not that simple. They’re protected by people from the Special Mission Bureau."

"This won’t do, that won’t do, so annoying!" The girl couldn’t help leaning back on the sofa, flailing her hands in the air.

"The Sect Hierarch means that we need to find an opportunity to control them, we can’t kill. Killing will definitely draw the people from the Nine Sects. This has to be handled delicately." The man said gravely.

"It’s from there that there’s been contact with the Sect Hierarch again, right?" The previously silent man spoke up.

"Perhaps. I’m not sure, but right now everyone is waiting for the right moment." The handsome man replied.

"What a hassle...."

The voices quieted down, and the three stopped talking.

* * *

Early October.

Taizhou was entering autumn, leaves were falling along the streets, a vision of withered yellow.

Inside Qingchen Temple, a new group of Golden Jade class students had once again formed.

Yu Hong and Guo Shangdong, not far away, watched a new batch of newcomers receive their introductory guidance while dressed in their Daoist robes.

At this moment, the autumn air was clear and refreshing, with the sun seeming bright but carrying little warmth. It slanted from above the courtyard of the Taoist temple, casting a bright light everywhere.

"Brother Yu, how is your practice with the Guanwu Skill coming along?" Guo Shangdong whispered as he watched.

"Not good... I find this Daoist Skill very challenging," Yu Hong shook his head, a troubled look on his face.

He has been here for two months now, and the initial layers were quite simple. But he’s been stuck on the Fifth Layer for a week already.

Still, not a single move forward.

"Master said it’s normal to feel it’s difficult. In the process of cultivating the Guanwu Skill, the most important thing is not to be impatient," sighed Guo Shangdong. "From what I’ve gathered, the stronger a person’s willpower is, the easier it is for them to complete the first step of Condensing. Once the Condensing is complete, as long as you successfully defeat it, you can break through. But an elder told me, the Fear Illusion that is condensed, its physical condition surpasses one’s own... Defeating it is anything but easy."

He had barely managed to enter the gateway in these past few days, Condensing out the illusion of the First Layer, only to be miserably defeated by it.

"Have you heard about any Magic outside of the Daoist Skills?" Yu Hong asked softly.

"Magic? Like handprints, dog blood, chicken blood, Hundred-year-old Peach Wood Sword, that sort of thing?" Guo Shangdong blinked. "I did ask about that, but the elder said without a foundation in Daoist Skills, using Magic is useless. It won’t have any effect even if you use it."

"Are you guys talking about Magic?" Xun Yang joined in from the side, smiling eagerly.

"Xun Yang senior sister, come and give us two new juniors a lecture," Guo Shangdong promptly invited her to join the casual conversation. "If it’s good, we’ll treat you to a meal at Hualing Restaurant!"

"You said it!" Xun Yang immediately got excited. "If you want to learn Magic, you must at least have mastered the first level of Daoist Skills because all types of Magic ultimately aim to facilitate calling forth the Fear Illusion we’ve overcome in the face of danger and commanding it to crush the threat. In short, use my fear to make the opponent also fearful, thus losing their will to fight."

"That’s so mysterious?" Guo Shangdong exclaimed, "Senior sister, can the Fear Illusion really be summoned?"

"Yes, but others can’t see it, only you can. Simply put, it’s you practicing until you hallucinate, and then using that illusion to overcome unknown threats. Of course, in practical application, it’s mainly against those ethereal threats. If you expect it to block knives and bullets for you, forget about it," Xun Yang said with a laugh.

"You can explain it like this?" Guo Shangdong was surprised.

"Of course, an illusion you can control at will is called Daoist Skills. An illusion you can’t control, that attacks you and affects your mental state, is called a mental illness," summarized Xun Yang.

"..." Yu Hong looked slightly odd from the side.

Having practiced up to the Fifth Layer, he indeed felt just as Xun Yang described – his condition was roughly the same.

"So this way, we can’t run up walls and fly across rooftops like martial arts masters?" Guo Shangdong continued to inquire.

"We’re not training in martial arts, but it’s still necessary to exercise. Didn’t they teach us a set of Seven Feather Fist during the morning exercises? That’s to promote blood circulation and stretch tendons and muscles. What era is it now that you still want to train in martial arts? Have you heard the saying, ’No matter how high your martial arts are, a gun brings you down." Xun Yang said with a mischievous smile.

"Ah... and here I was fantasizing for a long time," Guo Shangdong sighed.

"So that means, all Daoist Skills are about training the mind?" Yu Hong couldn’t help but cut in.

"Definitely. With guns around, why use a knife? Wouldn’t you be scared of a beyond-visual-range blast that could blow you away?" Xun Yang energetically waved her little fists as if it were obvious.

"That’s also true." Yu Hong nodded understandingly.

"Our temple’s Daoist Skills are still quite good. The Daoist Skills of the Nine Sects are really outrageous. Those who train to the higher levels, each one looks a bit inhuman. That aura, simply standing anywhere with their power released, feels like they could cleanse someone’s body and soul completely, seriously outrageous!" Xun Yang used ’outrageous’ twice to express her shock.

"Then in our temple, who has the highest level of Guanwu Skill?" Yu Hong asked again.

"Who knows about that, just focus on your own practice. Unless you say it, no one will know at what level you are. If your practice goes awry, just get medicine to save yourself. The elders don’t usually ask either. I only know that Official Disciples must at least complete one layer. The rest, I’m not sure about," Xun Yang whispered.

One layer...

Yu Hong shook his head inwardly, isn’t that something anyone can achieve with just hands?