Devour

"There are stronger guys in the depths of the fire lake."

Cheng Bai was secretly surprised and felt that he was not strong enough, so he did not continue to explore the secret realm of the Fire Lake. After understanding the ins and outs, he returned to the cave and practiced martial arts.

The Six Paths of Bliss Fist greatly broadened Cheng Bai's horizons and paths. He often pondered over the subtle connections between sword techniques, fist techniques, and martial arts, and tried to integrate them, complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and gradually became able to use them with ease.

Perhaps the opportunity for the fifth sword lies here, but there is no ideal result yet. Instead, the biggest help is the practice of the Six Paths Supreme Art, which is progressing rapidly.

Time flies, and the food in stock is almost gone after practicing. Cheng Bai takes away the Zhenwu stone bed and black gold ingot, takes Xiaobai out of the cave and heads for Yuheng City.

Around noon, we passed through the One-Eyed Jungle and arrived at the shore of Shila Lake.

This is the largest freshwater lake in the forest, which nurtures many wild animals and plants around it. The lake is rich in large fish called lun fish. Eating the meat of lun fish can make people strong and energetic.

Cheng Bai took a bath here, caught two big fish, lit a bonfire and grilled them, the aroma was overwhelming.

A guest came from afar. Eight women in gorgeous dresses came from the south, carrying a large emerald sedan chair that could accommodate several people. It was huge and looked very grand. They swayed and stopped by the lake.

The curtain of the sedan chair was opened, and a pair of chubby feet stretched out.

Two women nearby served attentively, gently putting on his shoes, and helped out a fat and wealthy man with delicate hands and feet, a blessed face, a complexion as white as jade, and skin as white as cream.

The rich man stood up slowly, and two women came up to support him, as if he was weak and needed care and consideration in every way.

The women surrounded the wealthy man and walked in front of Cheng Bai with a swagger.

A woman announced: "The Jade Banner Master has arrived." Another woman brought an extra large and elegant reclining chair like a magic trick and asked the Jade Banner Master to sit down. Another woman squatted down and gently massaged his legs.

Cheng Bai didn't know what the other party was doing here, so he picked up the grilled fish and was about to put it into his mouth.

The leader of the Jade Banner shouted, "Wait a minute."

Cheng Bai stared at him suspiciously.

The leader of the Jade Banner said, "How can we treat guests properly if we can't share delicious food?"

"I didn't invite you here. Besides, there are still a lot of fish in the lake. You can eat as much as you want."

After Cheng Bai finished speaking, he, Xiao Bai and the wolf each took a fish and started to enjoy it. The fish was plump, with little bones and lots of meat, and they ate it with gusto.

The Jade Banner Master widened his eyes and asked in astonishment: "Don't you know who I am?"

Cheng Bai said as he ate, "Who are you?"

The leader of the Qingyu Banner was annoyed and waved his hand.

A woman stepped forward and said in a clear voice, word by word: "I am the Jade Flag Master, ranked third among the five colored flag masters of the Disaster Legion. I am a master of divine foresight, unparalleled martial arts, and will live forever with wealth and fortune for thousands of years."

Cheng Bai swallowed the remaining fish meat in two or three mouthfuls, chewing while listening. When the woman finished speaking, he swallowed the fish meat and threw away the bare fish bones. Then he said to the woman, "Are you the leader of the Qingyu Banner? You look young and beautiful, but your title is so long."

The woman tried hard not to laugh and said seriously, "It's not me, it's him."

The Jade Banner Master's face turned pale and blue, and he said angrily: "Young people nowadays are really rude."

A resounding laugh came from the north: "Qingyu, you are a virtuous person, why do you have to embarrass the younger generation?"

When the man opened his mouth, his voice was still several miles away, but when he finished speaking, it had already reached the front, almost at the same speed as the sound, bringing with it a fishy wind.

Cheng Bai's expression changed slightly.

The man was wearing a long white robe, carrying a sword on his back, his belt fluttering without wind, he looked like a pine tree, with an extraordinary demeanor, and a Taoist spirit that was unconventional, three times more noble than Xing Jue. The huge monster he was riding was a nine-tailed scorpion lion that had given Cheng Bai a lingering fear not long ago, and was able to lead a lion tide.

The leader of the Jade Banner was very dissatisfied: "Gai Xun, you are late."

Gai Xun said disdainfully: "The leader of the Qingyu Banner has always been famous for being late, and this young master is just being modest."

The leader of the Jade Banner said helplessly: "It has been delayed until after noon. Let's talk about it after dinner."

He turned to Cheng Bai and said, "Go catch some big fish and grill them right in front of me. I'll pay for the expenses and you name your price."

Cheng Bai immediately said, "100 taels of gold for catching one, and another 100 taels for grilling one. OK, I'll go."

The Jade Banner Master was stunned when he heard this: "It's so expensive, are you robbing in broad daylight?"

Cheng Bai said confidently: "You let me name the price yourself. You are of high status, so my labor fee is high, which is reasonable."

Gai Xun sneered and said, "Qingyu, how can I take back what I have said? Besides, today's battle is a life-and-death struggle, so why bother with money? If you agree on the price, I'll take part."

The two strong men agreed to fight here early this morning, but each of them delayed the time and made the opponent impatient, so they only arrived now.

Cheng Bai stretched out his hand and said, "Collect the money first."

The leader of the Jade Banner took out two large gold ingots and handed them to the nearest woman: "It's my treat, give it to him."

The woman stepped forward and handed the gold ingot to Cheng Bai.

Cheng Bai weighed them in each hand, finding them pure in color and large in quantity, so he put them in his treasure bag, walked to the edge of Shila Lake, bent over and scooped them up. With quick eyes and hands, he caught a huge carp and threw it ashore. He reached out again and caught another one.

Gai Xun nodded secretly and praised: "Excellent technique, fast and accurate. It is rare to see such a skilled player among the younger generation. My disciple, who is the most conceited, has not yet reached this level."

Cheng Bai returned to the campfire, took out various types of knives purchased from Yuheng City, and skillfully cut open the fish's back, removed the internal organs, and sprinkled seasonings on it, especially the sweet sauce made from forget-me-not, nectarine, and Bacchus gourd wine, which was very valuable. In fact, Cheng Bai's quotation was not a scam.

The first fish was grilled quickly to perfection and the aroma filled the air.

The leader of the Jade Banner applauded and praised: "Great, wonderful! I have eaten countless famous dishes, but I have never seen a chef with such superb knife skills. It is really delicious, I must eat it to my heart's content."

He asked the woman nearest to him to take the fish. He sniffed it again and again, took a bite, and found it crisp and tender. He couldn't help but say with joy, "Great! 200 taels of gold for a fish, it's worth it. All the fish I ate before were like chewing vinegar. I can't bear to look back."

He ate the fish as fast as the wind and in a blink of an eye he had eaten up the whole fish, leaving only the skeleton. He was still not satisfied and licked it again and again before letting the woman nearest to him take it and throw it away.

The second fish was also grilled, and the woman came forward to help deliver it to Gai Xun.

Gai Xun said hurriedly: "I can do it myself."

He took a step forward, picked up the big fish and looked at it carefully, then said with a smile: "This young master is known as the 'True Sword King', and has been invincible in the Qiongqi Continent for a hundred years. My beloved mount Jiuzhe has made the greatest contribution, so this fish will be given to it as a reward."

He threw it to the nine-tailed scorpion lion.

The scorpion lion king opened his bloody mouth and swallowed it, including the bones. He ate it so well that he shook his head and tail, looking very satisfied.

"If you don't dare to eat, just say it directly. Why bother pretending?" Upon seeing this, the leader of the Green Jade Banner snorted coldly, lit the incense, asked the female servant to set it up, then crossed his legs, looking leisurely and contented.

It doesn’t matter if it’s white or not. The money has been collected, so you can give it to whoever they want.

Gai Xun said in a clear voice: "The master of the Jade Banner is famous for his secret poisoning skills. How dare you underestimate him? I will treat you for the second fish."

He also took out two gold ingots and asked the woman to pass them to Cheng Bai.

Cheng Bai took the reward and without further ado, he picked up two more fish and grilled them in the same way, one after another. The aroma was fragrant.

The Jade Banner Master took the big fish from the woman and ate it clean, discarding the fish bones. He burped and laughed, "Thank you, Brother Gai, for your hospitality."

Cheng Bai secretly admired him. The Lun fish was quite large. Half of it would be enough for an average adult man to feel full. The Master of the Qingyu Banner had a big appetite.

Gai Xun still went forward to take the fish, looked at it again and again, tasted it, and praised it loudly: "It is really delicious."

Before I knew it, all the fish was gone, only the bones were left.

The leader of the Jade Banner said with a smile, "We have already had lunch. Do we still need to fight in the afternoon?"

Gai Xun drew out the sword on his back, which was three feet and three inches long, and his body was looming. He shouted, "Qingyu, why do you dare to challenge me, the number one swordsman on the continent?"

The master of the Jade Banner said nonchalantly, "The best sword on the continent is the Tianhuang Sword, and the second is the Hunying Sword. Your Jingluan Sword is made of Feiying Steel and has just been inlaid with a Dark Shadow Sparrow King Crystal Core. It barely ranks fifth among the famous swords."

Feiying steel is also a rare material. It is made from black iron. The finished product is translucent, heavy, precious and rare, but it cannot be compared with treasures such as the Tianhuang Sword.

Gai Xun said proudly, "The first one refers to my swordsmanship. Apart from the Master of Yaoguang Palace who can compete with me in swordsmanship, who else can be the most famous swordsman in the world? Qingyu, you ask even though you already know the answer."

Cheng Bai thought of Cha He from the crooked-neck plain, and thought to himself, "The best swordsman I've seen so far is really not that good, I wonder if this one is any different."

The leader of the Jade Banner said leisurely, "You may not be the best in the world. You will know if you can be called the best only if you beat me. Gai Xun, you have been attacked by three poisons. Do you still have a chance?"

Gai Xun was secretly shocked when he heard this, but he forced a smile and said, "You poisoned the fish just now? How did you do it? Did you bribe this junior?"

Cheng Bai hurriedly said: "It's none of my business."

The Jade Banner Master shook his head and laughed, "The secret art of poison transmission is amazing. The first time the poison was transmitted to the gold, then to the hands of the younger generation, then to the second fish, and finally to your hands. The second time the poison was transmitted to the incense, then to your mouth and nose. The third time the poison was transmitted from the fish bone to the hand of the maid, then to the gold ingot, then to the hands of the younger generation, then to the fourth fish, and was eaten by you. Others were not affected, and only you were poisoned. The three poisons occurred simultaneously, and you died an untimely death."

Gai Xun's face changed drastically. He hurriedly used his internal energy to resist the poison, took several steps back, and trickles of black blood flowed out of his ears and nose.

The Jade Flag Master blinked and said lazily while sitting, "Today's battle has already been decided. Even if you have the Evil-Repelling Sword Body, your power is only 20% to 30% left at most. You will fall down when your power dissipates."

Cheng Bai was dissatisfied. You dare to use me, you can't let it go so easily. He said loudly: "Master Qingyu Banner, you have also been poisoned by me, and it is about to break out now."

The Jade Banner Master thought he had misheard and asked in confusion, "Young man, are you so bold as to scare the most powerful poison master on the continent? How could I not know that there is poison?"

Just as he finished speaking, his head shook again, and he leaned to the side and collapsed on the recliner, snoring loudly. He was actually drunk.

The sweet sauce used for cooking white fish contains a certain amount of wine from the wine god gourd. Even a strong person will get drunk after eating it. One fish is about two sips of wine. Originally, it was to show off the craftsmanship with enough ingredients based on the money given, not to cheat people.

If you eat one fish, you may not get drunk if you have a better alcohol tolerance, but if you eat two fish, even Cheng Bai himself may get drunk. The master of the Qingyu Banner collapsed only now, and Cheng Bai was quite impressed.

Seeing the situation change, Gai Xun quickly used most of his strength to suppress the poison, then charged forward with his sword.

The eight women were the envoys from all directions under the Jade Banner Master. Seeing this, they immediately rose up to fight. Their martial arts were not weak, and their coordination was exquisite. They were definitely not ordinary warriors. But Gai Xun was not called the best swordsman on the continent for nothing. He also had the help of the nine-tailed scorpion lion. A sword slash or a scorpion tail piercing the heart would kill a woman.

After knocking down the eight women and extinguishing the incense, Gai Xun's face turned pale and black blood began to flow from his ears and nose again. He approached the leader of the Green Jade Flag and was about to stab him with a sword.

Cheng Bai hurriedly said: "Senior, he is drunk, arrest him and ask for the antidote."

Gai Xun regained consciousness, swung his sword, and cut off the tendons of the hands and feet of the leader of the Qingyu Banner.

Cheng Bai thought to himself, "He's a ruthless man. I've offended more and more people in the Disaster Legion, so I might as well beat him to death."

When the leader of the Jade Flag woke up, his hands and feet were spread out and nailed to the ground by four swords, lying flat on his back in the shape of a "big" character.

He panicked and said, "Master Gai, please show mercy, we can talk it over."

Gai Xun sealed several acupuncture points on his body to prevent the poison from spreading. With only 20% of his power left, he became impatient and shouted, "Hand over the antidote."

The Jade Banner Master patiently said, "The antidote is not easy to come by. It requires the cooperation of my two martial arts, Jade Shocking Hand and Xun Palm Clap. I am the only one in the world who can make the antidote."

Gai Xun said angrily: "Does that mean I have to support you and ask you to make medicine for me?"

With a fierce blow of the sword, the sharp sword cut off almost half of the right arm of the leader of the Green Jade Flag. Then Gai Xun felt dizzy and lost strength, and was unable to cut off his right hand.

Unexpectedly, the slow sharpening of the blunt knife made the leader of the Qingyu Banner complain bitterly. He hurriedly said, "Brother Gai, don't get excited. Everything is easy to deal with. The antidote requires going to the Watch Forest to find the Qinglang grass. We will slowly make plans."

After hearing this, Cheng Bai asked, "Can the Qinglang grass remove your poison?"

The leader of the Qingyu Banner nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice, the fat on his face trembling constantly: "Qinglang grass is also known as lucky grass. It has five leaves. Only one leaf is needed to make a pill to detoxify."

Cheng Bai took out the Qinglang grass from his treasure bag: "I have it here."

The leader of the Qingyu Banner was dumbfounded.

Gai Xun was overjoyed and asked, "May I ask who your disciple is, little brother?"

Cheng Bai replied: "The Lord of Yuheng Stone Palace."

Gai Xun thought to himself: "Shi Ziyu's disciples are so advanced in cultivation, they are undoubtedly his personal disciples and candidates for the future hall master. They are worth making friends with, so why not be generous."

He took out three large ingots of gold from his treasure bag and said in a loud voice, "I'll buy them for 600 taels. Can you part with them, little brother?"

Cheng Bai took it and accepted it, but only gave him a leaf: "600 taels for one leaf."

Gai Xun didn't bother to argue with him. He stuffed the Qinglang grass leaves into his mouth, chewed them slowly and swallowed them. After a while, he felt the toxicity in his body was reduced and his strength was gradually restored. He was very happy.

The leader of the Jade Banner blinked his eyes, wanting to cry but unable to, and murmured, "I need my Jade Shock Hand and Xun Palm Clap to cooperate in the practice..."

Gai Xun simply grabbed a ball of dirt from the ground and stuffed it into his mouth, then turned to Cheng Bai and said, "I'll give you another 600 taels, collect a piece of Qinglang grass leaf, go to Yuheng City to find Yaozong to make an elixir, and I'm going to take this guy to Jianya."