After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 140: Chapter 141: Injury Transfer Secret Technique

While he was sucking in a breath from the pain, Hee Lingchuan poured the insect powder into his mouth, forced in two mouthfuls of water, and made him swallow.

But the mother grasshopper’s abdomen, along with the larvae inside, had been swallowed by Wu Shaoyi. He even chewed twice; Hee Lingchuan heard a distinct CRUNCH.

”What else should I do?”

”Nothing. Just wait.”

Just a few dozen breaths later, Hee Lingchuan heard Wu Shaoyi’s breathing grow steadier. He checked his pulse again and found it was also growing stronger.

He unwrapped the medicinal cloth on Wu Shaoyi’s body and saw that the horrifyingly large, bloody holes were slowly closing.

On the other side, the bandit was screaming incessantly in pain.

Wounds began to appear one after another on his body, in the exact same places as Wu Shaoyi’s. They started small and grew larger, and blood began to flow from them.

Then, with a series of CRACKS, several of his bones broke one by one.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Wu Shaoyi’s wounds had mostly healed, leaving only red marks on his skin. Hee Lingchuan tentatively pressed a few spots and found that even his broken ribs had mended.

Looking back at the bandit, all of Wu Shaoyi’s previous injuries had now appeared on him. It was his turn to be on death’s door, with more breaths going out than in.

”Aside from the blood loss, your injuries have basically recovered.” Hee Lingchuan clicked his tongue in amazement as he observed Wu Shaoyi. ”That Yellow Talisman... can you draw it?”

Wu Shaoyi hadn’t been lying. The casting process for this Secret Art wasn’t difficult; anyone could learn it just by watching. Hee Lingchuan could even guess most of the principles behind it.

There’s an old saying that a grasshopper in autumn can’t hop for long. In truth, the mother insect withers shortly after laying her eggs, soon freezing or starving to death. The newborn larvae, however, grow rapidly underground.

In essence, this is an intergenerational transfer of life essence.

Wu Shaoyi had borrowed this very principle, transferring the bandit’s Life Force to himself while sending his injuries outward.

The keys to casting the Spell were the Talisman Paper and the Turtle Pearl.

He had taken the Yellow Talisman Paper earlier and examined it closely. The characters on it were all drawn in Vermilion. But strangely, no matter how hard he focused, the lines seemed to grow blurrier the more he looked, making them impossible to memorize.

Advanced Talismanic Magic was all like this; it had anti-theft features. Otherwise, anyone who got their hands on one could copy it effortlessly.

Wu Shaoyi shook his head. ”I’m just a coarse brute, how would I know this stuff? The Saint Master said that no more than three people in this world understand this Secret Art. Now that he has passed away, that leaves only two.”

He slowly sat up. His face was still pale, and Hee Lingchuan thought he even looked a few years older.

’Even though the Turtle Pearl had provided him with such abundant energy.’

”The Saint Master said there was a great calamity in my destiny that would be difficult to overcome, so he bestowed this Talisman Paper upon me.” Wu Shaoyi gave a bitter smile. ”But this Spell is too vicious, it violates the harmony of nature. Even though my injuries have recovered, I’ll live for three to five more years at most. All my Cultivation will be gone, and every year at this time, my old wounds will reopen. I’ll have to experience the full day of agony all over again!”

”That sounds like true suffering.” In his heart, however, Hee Lingchuan was unimpressed. ’In a world where people are treated worse than dogs, what ’harmony of nature’ is there to speak of?’ ”I’ve spent enough time here. I need to get back to the main force. Can you ride a horse?”

Wu Shaoyi stood up and moved his arms and legs. ”No problem.”

He just couldn’t fight. He had also lost too much blood and needed to recuperate. But they both knew there was no time for that right now.

At that moment, the bandit breathed his last and died.

If the Spell hadn’t been cast in time, it would have been Wu Shaoyi breathing his last.

Wu Shaoyi gave the body a solemn salute. ”Thank you for dying in my place!”

Once outside the house, he asked for Hee Lingchuan’s name. Hee Lingchuan told him, then glanced at the giant crocodile sunning itself on the beach and couldn’t help but ask, ”By the way, on the Western Route, I saw the Crocodile Demon ambush you and drag you straight into the water. How did it give you a chance to counterattack?”

Never mind a Crocodile God that had achieved significant Daoist Practice; even when a common Crocodile Demon attacked a human, if it was over three meters long, it would be difficult for the person to fight back without help.

Wu Shaoyi sighed. ”It first dragged me to the bottom and swam for a while. Then it quickly surfaced, preparing to adjust my position to swallow me more easily. I seized that opportunity to raise my Long Spear.”

Hee Lingchuan had a moment of realization.

Crocodiles, lizards, and birds can’t chew their food; they primarily swallow it whole. If prey is sideways in their mouth and won’t go down, they will perform a brief toss-and-lift motion to reorient the prey before swallowing it.

Wu Shaoyi had seized that brief instant to save himself.

’It sounded easy, but I’m still impressed by his composure in the face of danger,’ Hee Lingchuan thought. ’If I were in his shoes, with dozens of fangs embedded in my body and blood pouring from my wounds, could I have been as calm as Wu Shaoyi?’

Just then, a few figures appeared on the road outside the village. Seeing Wu Shaoyi, they rushed over, overjoyed. ”General, you’re alive!”

These were, of course, Wu Shaoyi’s men. When Wu Shaoyi was ambushed by the giant crocodile, the bandits were left leaderless and were scattered by Lui Yao’s attack.

Except for the ones recruited by Lui Yao, the rest had been lingering not far from the village, preparing to select a new leader.

The movements, food, and drink for so many people would be a disaster without a commander.

Wu Shaoyi commanded great prestige among his troops. When Sable went to rally them, they responded in droves.

In less than half a double-hour, about seventy to eighty percent of them had returned.

Hee Lingchuan did a rough headcount. There were five or six hundred men. He was secretly pleased.

’This many men, this much power... if used properly, they could become a surprise force.’

When his men asked what happened, Wu Shaoyi didn’t hide anything. He told them everything about his solo battle with the Crocodile God, earning their endless admiration.

The bandits also spoke kindly to Hee Lingchuan, as Wu Shaoyi had pointed him out as his savior. And to the bandits, anyone who could ride back with their boss on a crocodile was automatically assumed to be no ordinary person.

With several giant crocodiles lounging by the lake, no one doubted their story.

More people meant more noise. The Crocodile God found the area too rowdy, so it slowly turned its head, preparing to return to the lake.

Hee Lingchuan’s eyes were sharp. He hurried over and said, ”Hey, Crocodile God, wait a moment!”

The giant crocodile stopped.

Previously, it had ignored all humans except for Hong Xiangqian. But Hee Lingchuan had helped it before, and it was a creature that clearly distinguished between favors and grudges.

”What is it?”

”Why are you working as hired muscle for Lui Yao?” This was Wu Shaoyi’s question as well. ”Hong Xiangqian is dead, so why would you pledge allegiance to Lui Yao?”

”Hong Xiangqian once had a drop of Black Dragon Essence Blood in his possession. Lui Yao offered it as payment for me to act twice,” the giant crocodile said slowly. ”The red quinoa powder was the signal. This was the last time.”

’Oh, right. These scaly beasts are obsessed with Dragon Blood. It seems to be a great aid to their Cultivation, doesn’t it?’ Hee Lingchuan’s eyes darted around. ”What did Lui Yao bring you to Immortal Spirit Lake for?”

”He said he needed my help here.”

Hearing this, Wu Shaoyi’s bandits all showed angry expressions.