Shen Xiuhan withdrew his gaze and gritted his teeth, a ruthless expression surfacing on his slightly pale face.
He then reached into his robes, pulled out another pill, and threw his head back to swallow it.
As the pill entered his stomach, its medicinal power dissolved. A warm current rose from his dantian, surging toward his limbs and bones.
A touch of color returned to Shen Xiuhan's pale face, and the dried-up qi force in his acupoints slowly began to regenerate.
Using the Dragon Gate Attraction with my Anjin cultivation is still too much of a stretch... Just now, nearly ninety percent of the force in my four acupoints was drained before I could barely cast the secret technique...
It seems I must not use the Dragon Gate Attraction lightly unless it is absolutely necessary. Otherwise, once my force is completely drained, I will become a cripple at the mercy of others.
Shen Xiuhan muttered to himself, casting his gaze toward Dongyi Island.
But right now, I cannot afford to care about that.
This opportunity to land on the island is rare. I must succeed this time. Otherwise, who knows when I will have such a great chance again.
With this thought, Shen Xiuhan hesitated no longer and poured his force into the Overturning Sea Bead once more.
The deep blue light flared brilliantly!
The bubble parted the lake water like a swimming fish and dived toward Dongyi Island, its speed slightly faster than before.
The underwater environment was dim. Reefs, water weeds, and swimming fish swept past one by one.
He moved along the shadows of the island reefs, avoiding the nearby lackeys.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Shen Xiuhan surfaced behind a quiet reef. Showing only half of his head, he quickly scanned his surroundings.
This was the western side of Dongyi Island, full of jagged rocks and quiet water. Nearby, only a single bamboo raft was moored. On the raft, two pirate lackeys were looking up into the distance.
Over there, the muffled thunders of Duan Xiao and Zuo Muxian's colliding forces left the two thoroughly shocked.
They were so engrossed in the sight that they completely failed to notice a dark shadow silently slipping onto the bamboo raft.
Shen Xiuhan struck like lightning. His fingers, like iron pincers, clamped onto both of their throats simultaneously.
“Crack! Crack!”
Two crisp snaps echoed at the same time.
The two pirates' eyes bulged. Wheezing sounds escaped their throats, and after a couple of weak, futile clawing motions, their bodies went limp.
Shen Xiuhan shifted his feet and leapt onto the shore.
“Crack, crack!”
While still in midair, the joints in his face and body emitted a series of subtle clicking noises. His muscles wriggled, and his bones shifted.
【Turtle-Breathing Face-Altering Formula】!
Under the moonlight, Shen Xiuhan's face had transformed into that of one of the pirates, even down to the black mole on the corner of his brow.
Then, Shen Xiuhan took a deep breath and strode forward.
The entrance of Chenjian Dock.
The stockade gate was built along the mountain terrain, constructed with wooden palisades and stone walls. Along the way, braziers were hung high every dozen yards, the black smoke of burning pine resin scattering in the wind.
The terrain of the island rose and fell, and the houses were also built against the mountains. A main road paved with green stone stretched all the way from the stockade gate to the heart of the island.
At the stockade gate.
Dozens of bandits gathered atop the stone wall, craning their necks to look out over the lake, occasionally shouting to cheer for Duan Xiao.
Shen Xiuhan lowered his head and slipped in, walking along the long path. No one questioned him, and the process went extremely smoothly.
Passing the stockade gate, he came upon a long slope.
On both sides of the slope were scattered courtyards of various sizes. Some were warehouses, while others were living quarters. Clutter was piled up at the bases of the walls, and the air was filled with a turbid scent of fish and dampness.
Shen Xiuhan's eyes flickered, and he continued walking deeper inside.
The pale gold light representing the Diaohai Pavilion core disciple was still further inside.
After walking about half a mile, Shen Xiuhan paused.
Thud, thud, thud...
A chaotic flurry of footsteps suddenly sounded from ahead.
A burly monk, leading more than a dozen sturdy men, quickly walked out from the inner island and hurried toward the shore.
The monk's chest was bare, and six ordination scars were visible on his head. He was enveloped in a towering fiendish aura like a ferocious beast, seemingly preparing to lead his men to reinforce Duan Xiao.
It's the Second Chief of Chenjian Dock, Blood Dhuta...
Shen Xiuhan stood by the side of the road with his head lowered. Watching the other man's receding back, he continued forward calmly, quickening his pace.
After a moment, he rounded a corner, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A courtyard lay across the road, its gates wide open. The interior was brightly lit, with shadows moving about.
Just then, a flurry of hurried footsteps rushed to the front of the courtyard gate. A bandit dropped to one knee and reported loudly:
“Reporting!”
“Fourth Chief! The brothers on the shore sent word that the Fifth Chief has been captured by a mysterious expert! He is currently fighting with the First Chief!”
“That person's cultivation is extremely high, and the First Chief cannot take him down for the moment!”
As the voice fell...
Jia Pingxiu, now dressed in a brocade robe, walked out with a gloomy face. After listening to the report, he pondered for a moment and said coldly:
“...In other words, that person used some sort of sorcery to make that fellow Gao go mad.”
“However, instead of leaving after capturing Gao, that person is fighting with the First Chief... Could they have some other plot?”
Jia Pingxiu muttered to himself with a frown. Then, his gaze shifted across the bandits in front of the courtyard, and he said solemnly:
“Forget it. Better safe than sorry. Pass down the order to put the entire island on high alert. No unfamiliar faces are allowed onto the island. If there is anyone suspicious, kill them without mercy!”
“Yes!”
The bandits roared in response, their voices shaking the courtyard walls as they quickly dispersed.
Jia Pingxiu thought for a moment and lifted his foot, intending to head toward the shore.
He wanted to see with his own eyes just what kind of formidable figure dared to be so audacious as to provoke Chenjian Dock.
Just then, his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar figure walking past the front of the courtyard with his head lowered.
Jia Pingxiu's brow furrowed instantly, and he barked coldly, “Stop right there! Who are you?!”
The figure stopped at his command and turned around. He actually had a scabbed head and a large black mole on his face. With a slightly panicked expression, he said:
“F-Fourth Chief, this lowly one is a manager from the Provisions Camp. I was ordered by Master Tang Jin to look after the provisions.”
“Tang Jin...”
Jia Pingxiu's eyes flashed, and he slowly reached out. “Do you have an identity token?”
“Yes, yes!”
The scabbed-headed man hurriedly fumbled a wooden token out of his robes and presented it with both hands.
Jia Pingxiu took it, examined it, and his expression relaxed visibly. Throwing the token back to him, a trace of appreciation appeared on his face.
“Not bad. Tang Jin has thought of everything. Go on.”
“Yes!”
The scabbed-headed man took the token, bowed with cupped hands, and turned to stride toward the interior of the island, quickly disappearing from sight.
Jia Pingxiu watched him walk away and then set off toward the shore. After about a dozen breaths, he suddenly froze.
“Wait, that's not right!”
Jia Pingxiu's expression changed abruptly, his small eyes narrowing.
Tang Jin lost favor and was demoted to the Provisions Camp. The Provisions Camp is entirely staffed by Third Brother's trusted aides, and Third Brother has always disliked him. Consequently, even the subordinates target Tang Jin. Normally, he can't even order a single lackey around. How could a manager be listening to his orders?
That person just now... Oh no!
A sharp light gleamed in Jia Pingxiu's eyes. His nostrils flared violently, and he gave chase, following a faint scent lingering in the air.
He had already opened six of his nine acupoints, leaving him only one step away from the late-stage Anjin rank.
And this sixth acupoint was precisely the Yingxiang acupoint!
Once this acupoint was cultivated, one's sensitivity to smell would multiply.
Though it was not as miraculous as secret techniques dedicated solely to smell, it was still over ten times more acute than an ordinary person's.
Jia Pingxiu's footwork was exceptionally agile, completely mismatching his round, bloated, and obese body.
In just a few leaps, he caught up to the edge of a pool.
The pool was not large, only a few yards across. Ripples ringed the water's surface, but the surroundings were dead silent, with not a single figure in sight.
“The scent... has vanished.”
Jia Pingxiu frowned and leaped onto the roof of a granary, scanning the surroundings from his high vantage point.
Courtyards, alleys, and houses were all within his view, yet he still could not find that suspicious figure.
A moment later, Jia Pingxiu dropped back down to the side of the pool with a dark face.
“This kid is definitely not from our Chenjian Dock. Risking his life to land on the island... he must have a plot!”
He muttered to himself, his eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration flashed in his mind as he recalled an old matter from years past.
In previous years, the First Chief, Duan Xiao, would organize men almost every year to search Dongyi Island inside out, digging three feet deep as if looking for something.
Yet after years of tossing and turning, they ultimately came up empty-handed.
He had asked privately once, but Duan Xiao only shook his head and said nothing.
In the past, people had also dived down to explore this pool.
The bottom of the pool was deep, and at its deepest point, there were only a few water tunnels about the width of a forearm winding toward Cloudwater Lake. Other than that, there was nothing.
Thinking about it now...
Jia Pingxiu's eyes shifted slightly, a trace of greed surfacing.
“Could it be... there really is some treasure here?”
Jia Pingxiu licked his lips. His body leaped nimbly, landing behind a thick patch of reeds by the pool.
Crouching down to hide himself, he exposed only his eyes to stare at the water's surface, a sinister smile creeping onto his face.
“I want to see what kind of treasure it really is to warrant a Huajin expert making such a scene on the lake while sending elites to risk landing on the island...”
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