The Immortal's Poison
chapter-199

Wen Leyang picked up a nearby rock and wrote out a few characters: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, sun, moon, stars, and chaos.

He pointed at the words on the ground and said to Gu Xiaojun and the head lama, "In the Gold-Consuming Lair on Mount Qilian, we had unintentionally broken the cloaking spell [1] left behind by Grand Master Tuo Xie and met the Heaven Cone Nail of the water element which the Master had revived. Cone Nail had told me that the Heaven Cone Nails holding down Xiang Liu on Black and White Island were divided into these nine attributes. Every Heaven Cone Nail corresponded to one of the heads of Xiang Liu. Together, using the power of the universe, they shackled down Xiang Liu and kept him bound to Black and White Island eternally."

This knowledge about the Heaven Cone Nails of Black and White Island could not have been known by outsiders. Wen Leyang himself had only learned about the nine attributes out of coincidence.

Wen Leyang paused. He allowed Gu Xiaojun and Rangjung some time to digest this new information before continuing, "Whether according to the practice of the immortal arts, or folk medicine, or in the study of poisons of my own family, each of the five organs of the human body corresponded to each of the five elements. The liver that carries Qi and blood throughout the body, is governed by the Wood element; the fiery and strong Yang heart is ruled by the Fire element; the spleen that transports water and food is affiliated to the Earth element; the lungs that purify the air we breathe is tied to Metal; the kidneys which store vitality and facilitates the movement of liquids, is attributed to Yin Water."

The liver, heart, spleen, lungs, and kidneys, whether in Buddhist magic or following medical tomes, they each corresponded to the five elements of wood, fire, earth, metal, and water.

Rangjung's eyes lit up. "Bones that support the tendons and flesh are considered to be Yang in nature, associating with the sun while blood which is attributed to the moon contains feminine Yin energy and provides oxygen and nutrients to the whole body. The hairs… the stars maybe? There are many sutras and poems referring to the bones and blood as representations of the sun and moon but I have not heard much about hair…" 

Gu Xiaojun laughed as he slowly began to understand. "Let's just go with that, the hairs as stars. The mixing of bones and blood shall be the glare of the sun and the light of the moon, followed by the multitude of stars, uncountable as the hair on one's body. Haha! Makes sense, makes sense!"

Following Old Gu's daring proclamation, Wen Leyang continued, "Then the Gothic followers who were crushed into a pile of flesh, was Chaos? All the bodies had been mashed together into one that nobody would be able to tell if someone had scooped away a few spoonfuls."

Wen Leyang was unsure of what he had just said. Nevertheless, the head lama Rangjung nodded solemnly. "Let's put it this way. Each of the nine groups had one element taken from their bodies by the cronies of the evil sorcerers, each element corresponds to one of the Heaven Cone Nails."

If Wen Leyang counted in his own kidneys with the nine groups, five organs, bones, blood, hairs, and a lump of chaotic meat. Each of these items corresponded with one of the Heaven Cone Nails subduing Xiang Liu according to Buddhist magic laws.

Old Gu smiled, his mind working a mile a minute. He shook his head and interrupted the head lama, "This might not be related to the Heaven Cone Nails but more of a dark recipe meant for the nine-headed snake. We may not understand the evil sorcerer's magic but the materials they had gathered had been extracted out of the bodies of Xiang Liu's believers. No matter how I look at it, I don't think it's to make a weapon to shatter the Heaven Cone Nails but more like ingredients in a soup recipe. A soup to nourish Xiang Liu's body."

"Maybe the evil sorcerer believed that the bodies of Xiang Liu's followers are capable of invoking a special effect in the evil creature." Old Gu added.

Wen Leyang chuckled as he patted his side. "Then, with our kidneys missing from the list of ingredients, this soup might not be successful."

Rangjung nodded confidently. "Whether the evil sorcerer or the tainted guardians of the small town, they have to find us sooner or later to perfect this 'soup'. If they come looking for us, it will save us a lot of time looking for them."

According to Saint [2] Tian Shu of Black and White Island, each of the nine Heaven Cone Nails was tied to one of Xiang Liu's nine heads. That was why the revived Cone Nail shared the same fate as the escaped Wicked Soul.

Lucky for them, Wen Leyang had learned about the nine Heaven Cone Nails back at the Gold-Consuming Lair. That made it possible for him to connect the happenings now to the nine heads of Xiang Liu.

Across the eight corpse pits, it was apparent that each group had suffered and died in many different ways. Different parts of their bodies had been removed by the residents of Tuer Town. Other than the water element, the eight other elements - metal, wood, fire, earth, sun, moon, stars, and Chaos - were accounted for. With Old Gu's sharp mind and Rangjung's vast knowledge, it should not have been difficult for them to surmise the intentions of the evil sorcerer.

The answer was laid out right in front of them. The evil sorcerer was collecting ingredients from the bodies of the nine-headed snake believers to cast a spell to help the evil creature.

As to why that person has picked the hearts of the Persians or the bones from the Khmer… whether this was done with a purpose or randomly, it was irrelevant to the bigger picture so they did not dwell upon it.

Wen Leyang understood one thing though. Whether it was casting a spell or brewing poisons, if you only have nine-hundred and ninety-nine of the one thousand ingredients needed, it would fail. As long as they kept this in mind, meaning that they were to protect and hold on to their kidneys, this should keep the world at peace. The evil sorcerer's magic would prove useless.

Old Gu laughed happily and boomed, "The evil sorcerer's spell was doomed to fail from the start. We are not true believers of the nine-headed snake. Even if he did take my kidneys, I'm afraid it would prove to be useless."

The evil sorcerer had spent a lot of effort into gathering the believers of the nine-headed snake onto the highlands and picked out nine groups from those present. Perhaps it was because their bodies had changed somehow from worshipping the nine-headed snake or through the refinement of their practice, and this was perhaps crucial to the magic of helping Xiang Liu. If the body parts of any normal folk would have been sufficient, the evil sorcerer would not have gone through so much trouble to gather them all.

The three "detectives" had reached a conclusion while Fei Fei had also finished her interview with Tutatunte. She left the African leader under Po Tu's watch and dashed back to the group. Her face spook of exhaustion but also excitement. "I've got it, roughly. The beginning is more or less of what we have guessed so far. This tribe of Africans have believed in and worshipped this nine-headed snake for generations. Tutatunte is the leader of their tribe. Not long ago, while making sacrifices to their god, he received a divine reply."

Wen Leyang asked incredulously, "There really was an oracle? That must have been quite the spectacle."

The others have yet to grasp the seriousness of the situation, only head lama Rangjung's face had turned pale. He almost forgot himself as he grabbed onto Fei Fei's wrists with his meaty hands. "Are you certain? The black man received an oracle?"

Fei Fei kept her cool, unknown whether this was from all the training she had been through or she just didn't want to waste time. She simply shrugged and nodded, "Yes, I'm sure. The black man cannot fool me."

Although they do not speak the same language, Fei Fei was skilled in observing expressions. She also knew some words of the North African grassland language. Coupled together with some hand gesturing, her communication with Tutatunte proved to be quite smooth. In addition, as long as the subject was human, any lie they tried to tell would not escape Fei Fei.

Rangjung noticed his inappropriate behaviour then. His face flushed, he let go of the young lady in haste. He explained to the others in a solemn voice, "I have always been worried about the matter of the oracle but I had not said anything as there was no concrete evidence for it."

Gu Xiaojun snorted and egged on the head lama, "Master, we're already this far in. You don't have to explain to us all your reasonings."

Rangjung rushed through the next part, "The oracle itself isn't really anything of interest. These evil cult followers are believers of the nine-headed snake. Although their magic powers appear average, they are still connected to Xiang Liu. That's why, if Xiang Liu had wanted to contact them, it would not have been difficult. However, the crucial point here is that if Xiang Liu had wanted to do so, it must be the one to cast the magic-"

A hard thump interrupted the head lama. He turned to find Gu Xiaojun slumped on the ground.

Old Gu did not bother to get back up. He stared at Rangjung with frightened eyes. "You mean to say… Xiang Liu has already escaped from Black and White Island?! The evil sorcerer whom Qian Ren mentioned could be Xiang Liu in human form?!"

The lines on Master Rangjung's face was pulled taut. He remained silent.

Wen Leyang felt his heart beating wildly. He calmed himself and questioned Rangjung, "What if… what if it was not the real Xiang Liu but instead was the escaped Wicked Soul?"

Rangjung's brows rose slightly. He looked at Wen Leyang. "What do you mean?" The head lama had only read about how Xiang Liu was being subdued on Black and White Island through the power of the Heaven Cone Nails. He did not know about the one broken Nail and the escaped Wicked Soul.

Fei Fei and Old Gu had heard this story from Wen Leyang before. They recounted the story of how one of the souls of the nine-headed snake had made its escape and was eventually sealed away in Hanba's body for thousands of years. Head lama Rangjung heaved a sigh of relief after listening to their tale. The lines between his brows smoothed and he relaxed considerably. "If this Wicked Soul had gathered enough power, it could have very well sent out the summons for the evil cult followers."

Gu Xiaojun's expression did not lighten. He turned and looked towards Wen Leyang. "Could it be… Fifth Brother Hanba?"

Wen Leyang was worried about the exact same thing.

This evil sorcerer had visited the small town of Tuer about a year ago. After the initial shock of hearing Master Rangjung's thoughts, Wen Leyang determined that the evil sorcerer was not Xiang Liu. Wen Leyang had just met Saint Tian Shu a few months ago. If the nine-headed snake had escaped and was creating chaos, Tian Shu and Tian Hua would not have wasted their time in fighting Hanba. The demon cat Chang Li, the spark of evil, would have suffered divine punishment as well if Xiang Liu had really escaped from Black and White Island.

The evil sorcerer from Tuer Town must be related to Xiang Liu one way or another to be able to spread the message that called upon the creature's followers. If he was not Xiang Liu's true body, then it must be Xiang Liu's Wicked Soul.

The Wicked Soul had been greatly weakened by Grand Master Mi Xu who used the Thousand Year Trick to bind it to the body of Fifth Brother Hanba, after being tainted by Death Energy. Unless… Wen Leyang's expression turned sour as he contemplated the possibility that the Wicked Soul had been controlling Fifth Brother Hanba. From the beginning til now, it was truly the Wicked Soul that had been causing havoc and tricked Painting Town, Chang Li, San Wei, Cone Nail, and countless other elites!

Everybody had thought Fifth Brother Hanba was in control of the imprisoned Wicked Soul.

In truth, Wicked Soul had been controlling Fifth Brother all along, biding its time and waiting for the opportunity to strike and release Xiang Liu's true body.

According to the red monkey Qian Ren, the evil sorcerer carried with him an aura of utmost darkness. This zombie would naturally absorb the Foul Energies of the world.

Gu Xiaojun started shaking Xiao Sha, who was still tucked away in his sleeping bag and hastily started to pack for home. If the evil sorcerer really was Fifth Brother Hanba, his men would not have been able to go against him. Secondly, it seems that they have managed to dupe the sorcerer with their kidneys and have successfully put an end to the sorcerer's evil plans.

Wen Leyang tried to make sense of the information but his mind was a mess. He had been through too much recently. To his surprise, he could not recall any experiences or associations directly linked to Fifth Brother Hanba. Wen Leyang could not come up with any reason to be suspicious of Fifth Brother Hanba but that does not prove the zombie's absolute innocence.

Wen Leyang decided not to think too much about past events. He shook his head at Old Gu. "We can't say anything for sure about Fifth Brother just yet. Perhaps there's another explanation for this. For example, the two swords immortals Tian Shu and Tian Hua.greatest enemies, the Kunlun Sect!"

Old Gu snorted. "There's nothing to it. The Wicked Soul harbours a deep grudge against Tian Shu and Tian Hua. It took its chance to kill them while they were heavily wounded. Tian Yin may as well be dead, never to come out of his seclusion!" 

Wen Leyang's face grew fierce. "If that's the case, then Liu Zheng should know the identity of the killer. Why did he not share that information with me?"

Gu Xiaojun could see that Wen Leyang was desperate. He smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Why are you asking me this when you already know the answer? Liu Zheng knew you consider Hanba as kin, how could he tell you?"

Fei Fei suddenly interrupted, standing up to defend Wen Leyang, "That's not it. Liu Zheng's expression was full of pain and disappointment. When Wen Leyang questioned him closely about the killer, he showed signs of shame."

Gu Xiaojun's packing slowed down. "Shame? What would he be ashamed of?" As he said this, he waved his hand impatiently. "Tian Shu and Tian Hua may have been murdered, perhaps by the tainted guardians of Tuer Town but I am not in charge of investigating such matters. We have already foiled the evil sorcerer's plan to help the nine-headed snake, I do not want to risk ourselves any further."

Old Gu paused slightly after his statement. He said to Wen Leyang earnestly, "Regardless whether Wicked Soul has truly taken control over Hanba, if you wish to pursue this matter, I suggest you bring Grand Master Chang Li along with you. If it turns out that the evil sorcerer truly is Brother Hanba, you could not hope to defeat him on your own."

Wen Leyang shook his head confidently. " I might not need to just yet. Hanba was ambushed by San Wei and Cone Nail not long ago and was badly injured. His powers should still be greatly diminished. If we have to do battle, our chances of winning are high."

Old Gu stopped his packing. He pondered for a while then broke out chortling. "You should have said so earlier. I've played the role of the bad guy in vain." Gu Xiaojun's laughter only lasted for mere seconds before he changed back to his usual stern self. "Regardless if this is connected to Hanba or the Wicked Soul, we should be heading back. As long as the evil sorcerer isn't the nine-headed snake, his identity doesn't matter. The Devilry Art that the evil sorcerer had wanted to use has already been thwarted by us, our mission has been accomplished."

Wen Leyang looked at Old Gu with half a smile on his face. From his point of view, if this was truly a mission, it was just getting started. He had not expected Old Gu to declare the mission over.

Old Gu picked his next words carefully. He left out a groan before continuing to speak, smiling awkwardly. "First, the mission that was given to me by my superiors is done. I'll have to speak to my leaders before acting on the matter of the evil sorcerer and the town's guardians. Secondly, to be frank, if we proceed with the investigation, we will not be of any help, we would also…"

As he said this, Wen Leyang nodded in comprehension. He smiled and said, "I understand. The Tibetans or the evil sorcerers will be hunting us." Xiao Sha's tracking art and Fei Fei's people reading skills had helped him a great deal in this journey but they were just ordinary people after all, with no magical powers to speak of. What would inevitably follow would be round after round of brutal killings. The three of them would be in harm's way with no way to defend themselves.

The goal of Gu Xiaojun's group for this trip was not to annihilate the Tibetan townspeople or apprehend the evil sorcerer but merely to investigate the evil cult followers who had entered the country in droves. If there truly was an evil plot going on, they were tasked to foil it and stop those plans.

Old Gu made arrangements to leave. Xiao Sha, who had been taking a nap, crawled out of the sleeping bag. His complexion was much better than before. When he heard that the mission had been accomplished and that his tracking art was a crucial factor in solving the case, he was immediately invigorated.

Only Fei Fei stood rooted to the spot. She smiled bitterly at Gu Xiaojun. "Chief, you have yet to hear Tutatunte's full tale. It might still be too early to call it mission accomplished."

Gu Xiaojun gave out an 'ah'. The others then recalled that Fei Fei had only started talking the testimony that she had received when they got sidetracked by lama Rangjung's 'oracle interference'. Fei Fei had yet to finish her story.

Gu Xiaojun asked cautiously, "Is something wrong?"

Fei Fei nodded her head. She pushed her little brother, "Go back to sleep, there's much more for you to do later."

Xiao Sha did not argue, merely crawling back into the sleeping bag in response. It seems like he did not like to use his brain much and would gladly do as he was told.

Fei Fei then started to recount the African's testimony.

If one measured the time that has passed, it has been one year since the nine-headed snake believers had received their oracle back on the African grasslands. It matched up with Qian Ren's account of when the evil sorcerer had returned to the town the second time. The god which the Africans worshipped for generations had finally responded to them. The details of the oracle and the way it was presented could not have possibly be explained in its entirety between Fei Fei and the dark man but it was clear that they had been instructed to head for the small town of Tuer on the Tibetan plateau.

Tutatunte had immediately gathered up the most skilled and devout tribesman and departed on their journey. Fei Fei skipped over the travel processes that followed up to when the Africans had arrived at the town. Firstly, they had had the wisdom to form an alliance with Wen Leyang and his group. They then won the ensuing battle easily without much fight and got through the elimination round unscathed. They were then led away by the Tibetan townspeople while Wen Leyang and the others stayed back to deal with the enemy.

Xiao Sha poked his head out from the sleeping bag. "Sis, what else happened when the evil cult followers followed the Tibetan people out of town?"

Rangjung, true to his nature, followed his heart. He wore his feelings on his sleeve and did not bother with the manners of an erudite person. He turned and stared at Xiao Sha in fierce disbelief. "Have you forgotten already? Perhaps you riders did not have to think much about it but us mounts almost broke our legs!"

Xiao Sha understood then. "We did run a lap and a half around the lake… Is that what Tutatunte is saying too?"Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click www.webnovel.com for visiting.

Fei Fei's expression turned grim. "When they were running around the lake, the Tibetan people had been trying to locate something. Although Tutatunte did not understand their magic, he could tell that they did not find what they were looking for. Everything he said after that is the same as we have concluded."

The Tibetans had run around the sacred lake in vain. They then led the evil cult followers north-east, to the base of the Tanggula Mountains. They split off into eight groups and headed in different directions. Every group consisted of evil cult followers and twice the amount of Tibetan people. Upon reaching this spot, Tutatunte was pinned down by the Tibetan people's magic, shaven clean, thrown into the pit to be buried alive. Although the Africans knew the art of breath-holding, they could not do it forever. Tutatunte's skill had been the most profound and was the only one who had managed to survive.

When he had been rescued, Tutatunte initially thought that the enemy had returned. He continued to hold his breath and readied himself for a sneak attack. When he realized it was his friend Yang, he relaxed immediately.

Xiao Sha asked in shock after Fei Fei finished, "What were they looking for around the great lake?"

Fei Fei glanced at her little brother with a broken expression, then gave Wen Leyang a smile and looked to the others warily. "He's too tired. He just woke up and his brain is not functioning properly yet."

Wen Leyang smiled awkwardly, he was not following Fei Fei's train of thought. He did not understand. What were the Tibetan people looking for at the sacred lake?

The head lama grunted in a low voice. "There are countless musical instruments that have been tossed into the sacred lake by generations of great practitioners. However, those guardians who have exited samsara and tainted by evil energy would only be seeking their own demise by touching these musical instruments. Other than that, there is only one other great heavenly treasure left in that sacred lake."

Wen Leyang was shocked. "The heavenly… heavenly water spirit!"

The killing intent in the squinted eyes of the head lama was as cold as a blade. "These arrogant, greedy men intend to desecrate the sacred lake?"

Fei Fei shook her head. She ignored head lama Rangjung's rage. "The point is, what did they want the heavenly water spirit for?" After she finished, she squinted her eyes and looked towards Wen Leyang but no matter how hard she tried, she could not mask her naturally smiley face. "I was listening to your theories just now. I think we all get the general idea but there's one crucial point you guys did not address. Currently, they are only eight of the nine snake heads are alive."

All who cultivated in Buddha was of great patience and Rangjung was certainly no exception. He patiently explained the theory of spell casting or refining medicines. They can never do with one less ingredient from the nine elements. They could not just ignore the use of the material just because one of the nine heads had died. Even if Xiang Liu only had one remaining head, they would still need to gather all nine ingredients if they wished to nourish the beast through some form of Devilry.

Fei Fei chuckled and shook her head. "That doesn't make any sense, it's too coincidental. How is it that the dead head is of the water element and that we are in such luck?"

Cone Nail was of the water element, the dead head of the nine-headed snake was also of the water element. Currently, out of all the materials from the eight groups, only the kidneys, which was of the water element, was the only one of the five organs left.

The probability was like one out of nine. Although the chances were not that slim, to have run into it was a great coincidence on its own. (Author's note: After I wrote this, I felt something was amiss. If one were to pick nine materials from nine groups, the probability of Wen Leyang's group being chosen to have their kidneys picked would be one out of nine? Those who are good in Math can help out in calculating this. If you can't do it, then let us all go ask Zhang Xiaohua…)

Fei Fei stared at Wen Leyang, eyes wide and unblinking. "Rather than saying that we got lucky, I for one feel that they never wanted our kidneys. This explanation seems far more likely. Besides…" Fei Fei's voice rang out like an unyielding, yellow oriole, crisp and unrelenting. "The way I see it, the Tibetan townsfolk would never go looking for us again because they never wanted our kidneys in the first place.When the Tibetan people asked us to stay behind in Tuer Town, they didn't mention anything about wanting us to catch up to them."

Wen Leyang finally got the picture!

Ar first, Wen Leyang and the others had not known the contents of the oracle. That was why they could not guess why the Tibetan people had wanted to leave them behind in the town. Now, through Tutatunte, they knew the oracle had only summoned them to Tuer Town. Whatever was to happen after, even the evil cult followers had no idea.

That was why, if Wen Leyang and the other truly had been evil cult followers, they would have listened to the town's residents and stayed back to keep the enemy at bay. If the Tibetan people did not return, they would have never left. It can be said that the Tibetan people had left the Chinese representative team in the town to perish! They had wanted Wen Leyang to help them guard the seal with his remaining years.

Of course, the Tibetan town's residents did not know that Wen Leyang's group were undercover agents. Naturally, they did not think that the group would have followed after them.

Having understood that, Wen Leyang and Old Gu looked at each other in alarm. Luckily they had not caught up with the Tibetan people or else their cover would have been blown!

Finally, Fei Fei left no more room for seconds thoughts as she waved and said resolutely to Wen Leyang, "So, all that you have inferred earlier were all wrong!"

Wen Leyang was slightly puzzled. The inference had clearly been made by Gu Xiaojun, since when did they become his? Then it hit him, Gu Xiaojun was Fei Fei's superior…

Fei Fei read Wen Leyang's mind in a glance. She giggled and stuck out her tongue. She did not wait for anyone to raise any more questions as she continued, "From what I can see, the Tibetan people had wanted to gather the nine materials that govern the five elements, the sun, the moon, the stars and chaos but the thing that governs water... it seems like they have found a better replacement for it. That's why they went around the lake!"

Head lama Rangjung's eye twitched. "You're saying that they wanted to find the heavenly water spirit?"

The heavenly water spirit contained the pure power of the water element. To use it as a replacement for the kidneys of Wen Leyang's group, from the aspect of function, it was plausible.

"But…" Wen Leyang's voice was hesitant, "didn't Tutatunte say that these Tibetan people could not find the heavenly water spirit from the lakeside?"

"Maybe there's some other heavenly water spirit somewhere else? Who knows?" Fei Fei answered helplessly.

Fei Fei's inference was similar to the one made by Gu Xiaojun, Wen Leyang, and the others earlier. The evil sorcerer and the living dead guardians under his control wanted to gather all nine materials which symbolized or contained one of the nine attributes to cast some sort of Devilry Art.

The difference in their judgement was that Old GU had thought that among these nine materials, the evil cultivators still needed their kidneys while Fei Fei thought that the item the other party was looking for was the more powerful heavenly water spirit.

Without a doubt, Fei Fei's theory was more precise and concrete. She had basically persuaded Gu Xiaojun that regardless of whether the evil sorcerer had found the heavenly water spirit, he would not be coming back for their kidneys.

Things seemed to have cleared up. According to Fei Fei, many more mysteries laid on top of the case and could not be resolved yet. Wen Leyang went through all the facts in his head once more.

Although nine teams had remained after the elimination rounds, the other party had needed only eight teams. That was why they left the strongest team behind to guard the town in the Tibetan people's place.

Maybe they had wanted them to snipe the enemy, maybe they had wanted them to protect the seal. After all, the evil sorcerer had something more important to attend to. If the sealed monster had broken free, it would not be beneficial to him.

The remaining eight teams had their bones removed and hearts carved out. Each of them met with different misfortune. Other than the water element, all other eight elements were accounted for.

Due to the fact that Xiang Liu's water element head being dead, they needed another more powerful water element treasure in the process of casting their spell. That was why the evil sorcerer had set his eyes upon the heavenly water spirit.

Currently, the whereabouts of the Tibetan townsfolk were unknown but according to Fei Fei's prediction, they should be looking for a way to obtain the heavenly water spirit.

With a thump, Old Gu tossed his backpack which was over his shoulders back on to the ground. "If they are not coming for us, we are going after them! Where did those zombies go? Who had a way to locate them?"

[1] The term 'prohibition spell' has been changed to 'cloaking spell'.

[2] The term 'enlightened person' has been changed to 'saint'.