Chapter 129: The Whetstone

I have been poisoned!

Su Ye was absolutely certain. Although he had never been afflicted by poison before, the strange, aching sensation caused his "Three Thousand Flame Emperor’s Tribulation" technique to fluctuate instantly. He immediately sensed that it was the work of a Gu poison.

When exactly had he been poisoned? Didn't these Gu sorcerers claim they would not use such methods?

"Are they all unaware? Or am I the only one who has been poisoned?"

Su Ye remained composed, though he felt a jolt of alarm inside. He cast his gaze around, trying to see if anyone else had been afflicted. However, the people before him showed no signs of distress; they were all focused on the white-haired elder slowly walking out toward them.

When could it have happened? Along the way, they had walked across stone slab paths, crossed a river, and eventually reached this point... Could it have been the water?

Su Ye stealthily glanced back. The small river still showed nothing unusual, save for its exceptional clarity. He had not expected the Gu sorcerers' methods to be so ingenious. If not for the unique nature of his "Three Thousand Flame Emperor’s Tribulation," he likely would never have detected it.

With this in mind, Su Ye began to slowly circulate his technique. With a slight movement, the uncomfortable sensation in his feet vanished, and he felt something that did not belong to him being forcefully expelled from his body.

Still uneasy, he continued to rotate his internal energy to scan his entire body. Only after confirming there were no further abnormalities did he secretly heave a sigh of relief.

At this moment, Ouyang Yunfeng, who was standing beside him, nudged him gently and whispered, "Su Ye, what are you thinking about? Whatever you do, do not hand over your bead."

Su Ye snapped back to his senses. He looked toward the tribal elder in front. The man's face was covered in dense age spots, and faint tattoos, likely from his youth, were visible beneath his blue-yellow skin. His eyes were deep, as if he had weathered endless storms, and his expression carried an undeniable sense of authority. Even upon a first meeting, one could not help but form the impression that this Tribal Chief Miao possessed an absolute, unwavering obsession—a testament to his stubborn nature.

"Chief Miao, since we are to find Thunder City together, please lead the way!" Jiang Ziyang said loudly.

The Tribal Chief’s expression remained unchanged. His gaze swept slowly over the crowd, and his aged voice rang out: "Who among you possesses the Thunder-Drawing Bead? Hand it over to me for safekeeping!"

Ye Lingyun, Yu Zhisha, and the others couldn't help but chuckle. They had fought over the Thunder-Drawing Bead along the journey, only to fail. But even if Su Ye had brought it this far, what did it matter? Here, in the territory of the Gu sorcerers, wouldn't they have to obey Chief Miao regardless?

Ye Lingyun wore a look of sudden realization and remarked in a pondering tone, "Well, since we are searching for Thunder City together, it is only right that the Chief keeps the bead. It will make our operations much easier."

Su Ye felt a flash of irritation. How many people had set their sights on his bead along this journey? Furthermore, it was clear that Ye Lingyun and Yu Zhisha were hoping to provoke a conflict between him and Chief Miao.

However, before Su Ye could reply, Jiang Ziyang spoke in a deep voice: "Haha, Chief Miao, you need not worry! Although the Jiang family has been separated from the Northern Clan for decades, we are perfectly capable of guarding a mere Thunder-Drawing Bead. You just need to lead the way!"

"The Jiang family? The Northern Clan?" Chief Miao took a long, hard look at Jiang Ziyang. His brows furrowed, and his body trembled slightly, as if he had recalled something. He seemed about to ask a question, but ultimately refrained. He said in a deep voice, "Very well. Everyone, go and prepare. We shall set out tonight!"

The ease with which this was settled caught the other martial artists by surprise. Ye Lingyun and Yu Zhisha’s expressions shifted instantly; they had not expected Chief Miao to back down. Jiang Ziyang simply offered a chuckle and a polite word of thanks, putting the matter to rest.

***

Since they were to depart that evening, everyone returned to their respective quarters to make preparations.

"Little Ye, why do you always wear those sunglasses? Is there something wrong with your eyes?" Jiang Ziyang asked with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing. By the way, where is Liuying?"

Su Ye was unable to voice his frustrations. Everyone who saw him in sunglasses thought he was being arrogant and overbearing, and he couldn't be bothered to explain himself, so he simply asked after Jiang Liuying.

"Her? That girl saw some pretty clothes and went off to play with a group of people. She should be further up."

"I see. Clan Head, we should prepare ourselves as well! I'll go call her back!" At the thought of Jiang Liuying, Su Ye’s teeth began to ache. He said a few words to Jiang Ziyang and immediately headed up along the river.

The Buddha Field Peak was quite unique; clear spring water flowed in many places, and the river was not small. As he climbed the stone stairs, his field of vision widened significantly.

Here, a large river flowed, and the stones on both banks were smooth and flat. However, they were not like the stones women used for washing clothes; they appeared more like whetstones for sharpening blades.

Su Ye frowned. He could clearly sense the sharp, weapon-like aura emanating from them. He had heard that places where weapons were forged for years often carried a lingering murderous intent, but he had not expected to find such a sharp aura here.

"There are at least three or four hundred whetstones on these two banks. Do they all sharpen their blades together at a certain time?"

A bizarre image flashed through Su Ye’s mind: Gu sorcerers sitting on both sides of the river, their faces grim, clutching cold, fierce blades, sharpening them in a rhythmic, scraping chorus.

"What kind of village is this?"

Su Ye didn't dwell on it and quickened his pace.

He soon saw a crowd of villagers gathered ahead. From time to time, bursts of exclamations erupted, occasionally punctuated by sharp shouts—someone was fighting inside.

Two young men, shirtless, were locked in an intense battle. Their bodies were already covered in bloody welts; they were fighting until they were bruised and broken.

"Good, good! Keep going! He's reaching his limit, hurry!" A beautiful, delicate figure was cheering and clapping enthusiastically.

From behind, she appeared tall and slender, her figure perfectly accentuated by her unique national attire, which was enough to stir the imagination. Her long hair flowed down her back, swaying as she jumped, making it impossible for the young men around her to look away.

"Liuying?" Su Ye called out from a distance.

"Eh? You stinky Su Ye, you're here too!" The girl turned around, revealing an exquisitely beautiful face. She looked like a masterpiece carved from jade; her eyes were clear, her nose delicate and fair, and the curve of her pink lips was soul-stirring.

This stunningly beautiful girl was none other than Jiang Liuying. He hadn't expected her to look so captivating in this special attire.

"What are you doing? You're staring with your eyes wide open—have you never seen a beauty before? Hmph!" Jiang Liuying tilted her chin triumphantly, looking even more radiant.

"What are you up to? We need to go back and prepare; we're leaving tonight." Su Ye didn't want to settle his grievances with her while so many people were watching.

But Jiang Liuying, fearing nothing, said deliberately, "Why do you care? They all claim their Miao style is the strongest, so they're having a contest! Oh, and why are you wearing such big sunglasses? Are your eyes too ugly to be seen?"

The men around her glared at Su Ye with hostility, as if they wished he would disappear immediately.

Su Ye gritted his teeth, certain that Jiang Liuying was the one who had stirred them up. He said in a deep voice, "Just you wait. Your hair is so long, and your eyebrows are trimmed so nicely..."

"Hey, hey, hey! Su Ye... you’re still acting arrogant with me!" Jiang Liuying panicked and immediately leaped down from the high ground.

She used some unknown footwork, and with a burst of internal energy, she cleared a distance of over thirty meters in one jump, landing right in front of Su Ye in two bounds.

"Well?" Jiang Liuying tilted her chin triumphantly again. This simple leap was enough to showcase her powerful cultivation realm.

"You... you're in the Spirit Gathering Realm—" Su Ye’s eyes widened.

"Will you dare to yell at me again? Still want to mess with my hair?" Jiang Liuying stood on her tiptoes, resting her elbow on Su Ye’s shoulder like they were "good buddies."

"I'll settle the score with you when we get back." Su Ye shrugged his shoulder, knocking her arm away, and turned to walk off.

Jiang Liuying giggled and chased after him, reaching out to snatch his sunglasses, laughing, "Let me see, just let me see!"

The young men behind them, seeing Jiang Liuying about to leave, grew anxious and rushed forward. The two men who had been fighting were particularly furious, shouting, "Where are you going? We haven't finished our match!"

"Not watching anymore. Nothing worth seeing." Jiang Liuying waved her hand dismissively.

The two young men became even more enraged and roared, "No! You must watch. You are not allowed to leave!"

Su Ye and Jiang Liuying were both stunned by such an unreasonable demand.

Su Ye, however, felt a bit differently and smiled faintly, "Look at the mess you've made. I'm not dealing with this!"

Jiang Liuying turned abruptly and shouted, "With your skills, I could take you both down with one hand. What's there to decide? Hmph!"

But the young man refused to give up and stubbornly reached out to grab Jiang Liuying.

*Whoosh!*

Jiang Liuying flicked her hand, swirling a layer of dark light, and struck out. The black glow slammed into the young man, sending him flying with a loud *bang*, knocking over a large group of onlookers in the process.

A wave of gasps erupted.

But the young man roared and jumped back up, a pitch-black bottle suddenly appearing in his hand.

"Gu poison?"