Adoption brings disaster

We are all good at martial arts, and our lightness skills are top-notch, so our movements are naturally very agile.

After drinking the chicken soup, we quietly left the village under the cover of night and headed along the mountain path towards the capital.

Along the way, I could see the camps of the Eighty-Eight Villages everywhere. Judging from the expenditure, it must have been quite a lot. I even began to doubt whether the so-called story that Shuikushan had stolen the treasure house of the Eighty-Eight Villages was true.

As they went further, they saw more and more camps and countless traps. If the three escort leaders had not been well prepared and experienced, they would have been discovered long ago.

It would have been fine if there were just a lot of traps, but every camp was brightly lit, and the endless stream of camps made the mountains look as bustling and prosperous as a capital city.

In this way, sneaking around became increasingly difficult. Fortunately, Wude's poisonous insect had the function of concealment, so he was able to escape.

We walked forward for another half an incense stick of time, and the camps were now connected to each other, making it impossible to hide.

Seeing this, we were also in a dilemma. Should we force our way in or use the method of making a feint to the east and attacking in the west? We discussed for a long time in the shadows in the distance, but could not come up with a way to get through.

If we just charge in, it's not impossible. These good-for-nothings definitely can't stop the six of us.

I'm afraid that after we get through, we'll be surrounded by the Eighty-Eight Villages. Although each of them is weak, they are numerous and powerful. Even if they just stand there and let us kill them, I'm afraid they will tire us to death.

If it is a feint to the east and attack in the west, it can be a good method. However, there are thousands of people in the Eighty-Eight Village, most of whom are cowards and will definitely not come out in full force. If there are too many bandits left in the camp, then this feint to the east and attack in the west method will be a joke.

We looked at the moon in the sky and saw that it was already overhead. If we didn't go through now, we might not be able to sneak through the Eighty-Eight Villages tonight. If we wait until daytime, it would be much more difficult to go through then.

In the end, there was no other way, so he had to let Wuxin, who was the best at light work, sneak into the camp alone to see if he could find a way to get through.

Wuxin is a man of great skill, courage, and loyalty. After hearing my arrangements, he went to the camp. No more words will be said about him.

It is said that Wuxin left for less than an incense stick of time and came back in a swagger.

But then again, this word is actually a bit inaccurate, because he was standing at the gate of the camp, shouting at the top of his lungs for us to come in, while the camp behind him was full of noise, all filled with the sounds of drinking, gambling and laughter.

Wuxin has always been steady. Since he was so unrestrained and carefree, it meant that the camp was not dangerous at all. Naturally, we entered the camp unrestrainedly.

The camp was brightly lit, but it was a very scary sight. The bandits who were drinking and gambling were actually thin human skins.

I have been in the underworld for a while and have seen many human skins and skeletons, but this kind of human skin that can not only move but also make sounds still makes my scalp tingle.

I was timid and trembling uncontrollably. I said, "Wuxin, what's going on? Explain it to me."

Wu Xin didn't answer, but a leader said in horror, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a long-lost skill, one of the three great magics of the evil sect: human skin puppetry."

Another escort leader heard this and also said, "The three great magics of the evil sect are the Thousand Killings Hidden Killing Technique, the Thousand Corpses Transmutation Technique, and the Human Skin Puppet Technique."

Wu Xin Wu De was young and didn't know a lot of things. After listening to the escort leaders, Wu De also told them what he knew, "I have heard of the Thousand Killings Hidden Killing Technique. It is said to be a formation of the Thousand Killings Organization. It has endless illusions and is difficult to escape. But I haven't heard of the other two."

Wuxin was calmer and naturally knew more. He said, "I have heard of the Thousand Corpses Transmutation Technique, which hides corpse energy within the body and is extremely ferocious. As for this Human Skin Puppet Technique, this is the first time I've heard of it."

"Human skin puppetry? What is that?" It was the first time I heard of this term. There was actually such an evil magic in the world.

"Boss, you know that humans are the most powerful creatures in the world. Human skin is the best food for evil creatures," explained the escort leader.

After he finished explaining, he felt a chill run down his spine. He shivered a bit and continued, "A few years ago, there was a black Gu master in Miaojiang. While using human skin to cultivate Gu, he discovered that the Gu worms could control the skin's movements. Moreover, the skin controlled by the Gu worms was extremely powerful, with numerous changes that made it difficult to defend against. Later, this technique was gradually developed by evil people and became the famous human skin puppet technique."

"That's right," said another escort. "This human-skin puppet can also attach itself to other objects, making it even more powerful. There was once a master of the evil sect who, relying solely on this human-skin puppet technique, actually managed to reach Wudang Mountain."

Listening to what the two escort leaders said, the other one frowned and looked at the human-skin puppet in front of him and said, "Do you know how many human-skin puppets that evil master made before he came to Wudang Mountain?"

We naturally don't know this. The escort leader continued, "A full three thousand, but look how many there are here."

People who practice martial arts have the sharpest five senses. As soon as the escort leader opened his mouth, we could already count them clearly.

"There are not many human skin puppets in this room, only fifteen in total." Wude answered immediately.

"I counted them during my investigation this afternoon. There are eighty-eight camps along the way. So, there are at least a thousand human-skin puppets." Wu Xin said with lingering fear.

Three thousand human-skin puppets can attack Wudang Mountain. With our strength, these thousand human-skin puppets will definitely skin us alive.

The thought of this made me panic, and their next words made me even more panicked.

The escort leader nodded and continued, "Although these thousand human-skin puppets are powerful, they are nothing to be afraid of. If a fire starts in this forest, everything will be burned to ashes. But do you know who the last master of human-skin puppetry was?"

The art of human skin puppetry has been lost for many years, let alone the master of this art. Two young people, Wude and I, definitely don’t know about it.

But I didn't expect Wuxin to know. He said with a gloomy face: "Ten thousand poisons devour the heart, a thousand ghosts destroy the body, and the human is the king of hell."

The three escort leaders were shocked when they heard Wuxin's words. One of the younger escort leaders exclaimed, "The Twelve Thieves of Longxi."

Seeing how nervous they were, I knew in my heart that the danger the poster mentioned came from the Twelve Thieves of Longxi.

I just don’t know what kind of hardships I have to go through to get out of this unscathed, or I don’t know how many of the five of them have to stay behind so that I can get out of this unscathed.

I felt a little sad when I thought about this, and I immediately said, "If an enemy comes, we must fight him with our troops, and if a flood comes, we must block it with earth. There is no point in being afraid here. We must always respond to each move with our own tactics. Let's not delay any longer and keep going."

It has been discovered that the people in the camp are all human-skin puppets, so there is no need to hide.

We quickly shuttled through the woods and camps, and by dawn we arrived at a river beach.

If you go further on this river beach, you will reach the official road. Then you can really enjoy the vast sea and free sky for birds to fly and fish to swim. You don't have to be afraid of the Twelve Thieves of Longxi at all.

But Zhaixinglou said that I was in trouble, and it would definitely not go away so easily.

Sure enough, we had just arrived at the riverbank and were about to take a short rest before heading towards the official road when a group of old people came from a distance. Upon closer inspection, we found that they were the twelve old men in the village yesterday.

"My dear benefactors, why don't you go forward? We will soon reach the official road. Why do you stay here? You have to keep us waiting on the official road." The old man in the lead said kindly.

"I'm really flattered that the famous Twelve Thieves of Longxi are waiting for us." I said lazily while sitting on the stone without moving.

The old man in the lead was a little surprised when he saw that I knew his identity, but he immediately regained his composure and said with a smile, "It is truly an honor for all twelve of us old men to be remembered by the leader."

Although everyone had their own guesses about their identities, they were still a little panicked when they heard them admit it themselves. Wuxin and Wude quickly flew in front of me to protect me, while the three escort leaders drew their swords and confronted the twelve old men.

Seeing their confident look, I wasn't afraid. I just smiled and said, "Why are you waiting for us on the official road? It can't be to repay a favor, can it?"

When they heard me say the word "repay a favor", the Twelve Thieves of Longxi on the opposite side didn't react much, but Wu De on our side was extremely ashamed.

His face flushed with anger as he confronted the Twelve Thieves of Longxi and demanded, "Is this how you repay my kindness?"

"Please calm down, miraculous doctor, and listen to me slowly." The old man in the lead said, "I'm here today to repay your kindness. Those five people must die today, but I'm sparing your life. Isn't that repaying a favor?"

Such shameless words made Wu De so angry that he wanted to rush up and kill them, but I stopped him.

Wude didn't know what I was going to do, but he held his breath and stood beside me to protect me.

I smiled and said, "I have another way to repay you. Would you like to listen to it?"

The leader felt they had us beat today, so he wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he asked with great interest, "Everyone says the leader is incredibly smart. Besides, you're trying to repay the miracle doctor for saving my life. I'm definitely going to listen to your suggestions."

I chuckled and said, "Wu De is respected as a miracle doctor by everyone in the martial arts world, but he's not known as a great hero. Why don't you sacrifice your lives today to make Wu De famous? Wouldn't that be repaying Wu De's kindness in treating you?"

The leader chuckled after hearing this suggestion and said, "As the saying goes, a drop of water should be repaid with a spring. The leader's suggestion is very good, but we are old and can't move. We need you to take our lives. I just don't know if the unvirtuous genius doctor is kind enough to do it."

Having said that, there's no point in engaging in verbal battles any further. Naturally, we have to fight to put an end to this matter.

Wuxin Wude and the three escort leaders all rushed forward, and ten of the Twelve Thieves of Longxi also came out. Ren Yanwang and the leader just watched and did not move.

The battle was about to break out. Although the number of people on the opposite side was twice as many as ours, Wuxinwude and the three escort leaders were really young. Although they were a little less experienced, they were young and strong and were not at a disadvantage.

The battle continued. Wuxin and his men, relying on their youth, not only gained the upper hand but also steadily suppressed them. I looked at the leader in the distance and said with a smile, "You are so polite. Sending fame from a thousand miles away, the gift is more important than the affection."

The leader was not angry, but simply said: "In the martial arts world, it is natural to repay favors and avenge hatred. But isn't it too early for you to be happy, Lord Alliance Leader?"

I didn't answer, but just continued to watch the battlefield with a smile. Although these ten people cooperated well and had strong martial arts skills, their weakness was that they lacked continuity, and they were all injured after fighting for a long time.

I added, "What a way of repaying kindness and revenge! I wonder what kind of grudges I have with you that would warrant you coming here to die even though you know you can't win."

The leader smiled and said, "The Ten Immortals of the Lower Abyss are our good friends."

This was a bit funny, so I sneered and said, "You guys would avenge your friends? This is the first time I've heard of this."

"Of course not. But they died in your hands. If I kill you, I will be the undisputed number one in the bandit world. If we brothers want to leave the mountains, we can only ask the leader to lend us a head to make a name for ourselves. I don't think the leader will be so stingy as to not lend it to us."

Seeing the leader's confident look, I felt a little uneasy. After a moment's thought, I quickly shouted, "Come back."

Everyone was puzzled, but they all retreated behind me.

"Did you find out?" asked the leader.

"Is there something wrong with the chicken soup?" I asked him, but my tone was very firm.

"Impossible, chicken soup cannot be poisonous." Wude said firmly.

The leader smiled and said, "The reputation of the two poor doctors is so well-known. Even though I live in a small mountain village, I still know them. How dare they poison and infect the two genius doctors Wuxin and Wude? It's just a tonic."

"Tonic." I touched my chin and looked at Wuxin.

Wu Xin immediately understood and said, "Pure Yang Grass."

"As expected of a genius doctor, you reacted immediately. Yes, we are using Pure Yang Grass."

When he found out it was Pure Yang Grass, Wu De's face suddenly turned ugly.

Seeing that none of us knew, Wu Xin explained, "This Pure Yang Grass is a rare medicine. It's colorless, tasteless, non-toxic, and has no beneficial effects. If you take it, your power will increase for a short period of time, but once the effect wears off, your power will decrease significantly."

Wu De felt extremely guilty and said sadly with his head down, "The effect of this Pure Yang Grass is almost over."

I'm not really afraid. After all, the poster said I could escape unscathed. Besides, I was injured when dealing with the woman in red, and now I have no strength to fight anymore.

I could only feign calmness and say, "So, I only have one choice, right? That is to kill you at all costs before the effects of the Pure Yang Grass wear off."

When two brave men meet in a narrow road, the braver one prevails. We have no choice now. Wuxin and the others rushed up to fight with them again, but this time they fought with their lives on the line, while the Twelve Thieves of Longxi avoided them whenever possible and focused on delaying time.

Predict what will happen in the future, and listen to the next decomposition.