SWDnovel Chapter 107 Taboos in the Rat Alley
Chapter 107 Taboos in the Rat Alley
Chapter 107 Taboos in the Rat Alley
The mornings in Rat Alley are always accompanied by a suffocating, musty smell.
It was a unique smell, a mixture of stale, foul-smelling water, cheap incense, and the rotting corpse of an unknown monster, like poisonous gas seeping from the depths of the earth, seeping into every pore.
The light inside the stone chamber remained dim.
Gu An sat cross-legged on the stone bed with only three legs, his bare upper body covered in fine beads of sweat. His face was as pale as paper, and his half-festering face looked even more ferocious and terrifying in the flickering light of the fluorite.
"call----"
A breath of hot air, carrying a faint smell of burning, escaped from his mouth.
Gu An slowly opened his eyes, the dark blue light deep in his pupils gradually fading, replaced by the same deathly stillness and exhaustion.
It's been three days.
Three full days have passed since the three thugs from the Black Snake Gang came to extort money from us.
For the past three days, apart from necessary meditation to suppress the increasingly restless dragon energy within his body, Gu An hardly stepped out of the room. He was like an old spider lurking in the shadows, patiently waiting for the moment when his web would tremble.
"You look terrible."
In the corner, Shen Wan was simmering a thin pot of spirit rice porridge in a chipped earthenware pot. She looked up at Gu An, her voice still weak, but with an undisguised worry in her tone, "That dragon energy—it can't be suppressed anymore?"
"How many more days can we hold on?"
Gu An reached out and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling a burning sensation on his fingertips.
Although he managed to build a defensive line with the remnants of "Tranquil Coral," the dragon energy was like an insatiable glutton, slowly devouring his life force. If it weren't for his mutated liver continuously supplying wood-type life energy, he would probably have already turned into a dried-up corpse.
"It's not just a physical problem."
Gu An took the half bowl of thin porridge that Shen Wan handed him, and without complaining about its rough texture, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. "The money's all gone too."
This is a more real and cruel problem than the injury itself.
The "protection fee" of ten spirit stones emptied their last savings. Now, they can't even scrape together enough spirit stones to buy the lowest quality "chaff rice" tomorrow.
"The Black Snake Gang should be here today to collect their second interest, right?" Shen Wan glanced at the tightly closed wooden door, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
According to what the tall, thin man said before he left, there would be a small harvest every three days and a large harvest every five days. Today is the agreed-upon day.
"They can't come."
Gu An put down the ceramic bowl, a cruel and cold smile curving his lips. He turned to look at the water clock in the corner, which was used for timekeeping; the sand had just run out.
"Judging by the timing, if they are still greedy and eager to refine those spirit stones for cultivation—it should be time for the poison to take effect now."
Before he could finish speaking...
From the depths of the once deathly silent rat alley, a piercing scream suddenly rang out.
The sound was high-pitched and shrill, as if someone was undergoing some kind of extremely terrifying torture, tearing apart the tranquility of the morning. Even through the thick stone walls and soundproof barriers, it still sent chills down one's spine.
"Ah—!! My stomach! My spiritual power!!"
"Help! Boss, save me!!"
Immediately following was a flurry of footsteps and terrified shouts, and the entire Rat Alley instantly erupted into chaos.
Shen Wan's hand trembled slightly, and the ceramic bowl made a crisp sound on the stone table.
She looked at Gu An, her eyes filled with shock.
Gu An simply straightened his clothes expressionlessly, his dead fish-like eyes showing no emotion whatsoever.
"The chronic rotten powder has flared up."
At the other end of Rat Alley, inside a stronghold of the Black Snake Gang.
The once arrogant and domineering tall and thin "Ma San" was now like a dying fish thrown on the shore, rolling around frantically on the ground.
His hands were gripping his lower abdomen tightly, his fingernails were already broken, and he had scratched his stomach until it was bloody and mangled.
His abdomen was a strange, ashen gray, as if the flesh and blood inside had withered and rotted in that instant. Streams of foul-smelling black liquid flowed out from his seven orifices; it was the toxic blood formed by the chaotic spiritual energy mixed with fragments of his internal organs after his dantian and dantian had collapsed.
"What...what happened?! Why did Brother Ma suddenly become like this?!"
The henchmen nearby were so frightened that they didn't dare to touch it.
Just a quarter of an hour ago, Ma San was smugly showing off the inferior pills he had obtained in exchange for ten "protection fees," preparing to use them to break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining.
But who would have thought that as soon as the elixir was refined and the spiritual energy entered the body, a sudden change occurred.
The originally gentle spiritual energy suddenly turned into a strong acid, frantically corroding his body. In just a few breaths, Ma San's dantian, which he had painstakingly cultivated for many years, deflated completely, like a punctured, rotten ball.
"Poison—it's poisonous—"
Ma San was speechless. A "whoosh" sound came from his throat. His once greedy triangular eyes were now wide open, staring intently at the few spirit stones scattered on the ground, filled with despair and regret.
He finally remembered.
The Taoist priest with the rotten face, his humble and humble posture when handing over the spirit stones, and his cold, venomous eyes hidden in the shadows.
"It's—it's that—Ghost Hand—"
Ma San mustered his last bit of strength to try and say that name.
But the toxicity of "Rotting Spirit Powder" is extremely potent.
As the dantian completely rotted away, the poisonous gas rushed straight up the crown of the head along the meridians.
"puff!"
He spat out a mouthful of black blood, his body stiffened abruptly, and then he fell heavily to the ground, where he remained silent.
His body shriveled up at a visible speed, as if all the essence in his body had been devoured by something unseen in that instant, leaving only a gray, withered human skin covering his bones.
A deathly silence enveloped the entire stronghold.
All the Black Snake Gang members felt a chill run from the soles of their feet straight to their heads.
This way of dying is too gruesome and too bizarre.
Is this the method of the "Rotten-Faced Taoist" who is usually timid and bullied?
Without a sound, without the sight of swords or shadows, and without even showing their faces, they turned a Qi Refining Level 5 cultivator into a cripple and a dead man in extreme pain!
"Investigate! Investigate for me!"
After an unknown amount of time, the leader of the Black Snake Gang—a burly, bald man with a face full of scars—rushed out from the inner room. Looking at Ma San's gruesome corpse, his face was so grim it seemed to drip water.
"Who did this?! Was it that pill seller from last night?!"
He roared angrily, but made no mention of the rotten-faced Taoist priest who lived at the end of Rat Alley.
Because he was afraid.
As a seasoned veteran who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a knife, he understood the horror of this invisible poison better than his underlings.
The ability to poison spirit stones and precisely control the timing of their effects is something that an ordinary mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator could never achieve.
That Taoist priest with the rotten face is a truly ruthless character!
He's the kind of poisonous cultivator who, if you don't kill him with one blow, will be tormented to death like a leech!
Why would you provoke such an unknown and malevolent star for a mere ten spirit stones?
not worth.
The bald gang leader took a deep breath, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.
"Pass down the order: tell the outside world that Ma San died suddenly after practicing evil martial arts and going mad."
He gritted his teeth and made his final decision, "Also—spread the word that the brothers should keep their eyes open and not wander around that stone house at the end of Rat Alley unless necessary."
The news spread like wildfire, reaching the entire Rat Alley in less than half a day.
Ma San, a minor leader of the Black Snake Gang, died from a "careless cultivation" incident, suffering a gruesome death with no trace of his body.
Although the Black Serpent Gang tried their best to cover up the truth, which of the monks living in this slum wasn't shrewd and capable?
When everyone recalled Ma San's visit to that stone house to collect protection money three days ago, and looked at the dilapidated wooden door that was still tightly closed, as if nothing had happened, a deep chill rose in everyone's hearts.
No one sought revenge, and no one made a fuss.
The atmosphere in the entire Rat Alley became extremely subtle.
Those thugs who used to shout and bully men and women in the alleys would now instinctively slow their pace and even hold their breath when passing by that stone house, for fear of disturbing the evil spirit inside.
The stone house, located in a dark corner and half-submerged in a stinking ditch, seemed to everyone as an open maw, ready to devour any fool who dared to challenge it.
However, there are always some clueless or newly arrived outlaws who don't understand the rules here.
It was evening.
As dusk fell, Rat Alley was shrouded in a hazy, miasma-like atmosphere.
Two burly men, reeking of alcohol and carrying sabers, walked into the depths of the alley, cursing and swearing.
They were rogue cultivators who had just fled from the open sea. They had heard that a "Ghost Hand Taoist" who could repair magical artifacts lived in this rat alley and had a lot of good stuff. So, fueled by alcohol, they wanted to "borrow" some travel expenses.
"Brother, is this the one?"
One of the burly men pointed at the broken door, let out a drunken burp, and said, "I heard that Taoist priest is a coward. He was so scared by the Black Snake Gang last time that he wet his pants. Even if we don't get any spirit stones this time, it wouldn't be bad to kidnap his woman and have some fun with her."
"Hehe, you're right! Let's go!"
The two men grinned maliciously, drew their ghost-head swords, and strode towards the stone house.
However, just as they were about to step onto the steps in front of the stone house...
"Splash!"
A splash of water.
The door to the stone chamber next door, which had always been rather unremarkable, opened.
An old woman with a hunched back and a full head of white hair came out. In her hands she carried a tattered wooden basin filled with dark red, foul-smelling blood.
Her two empty eye sockets "looked" at the two burly men, her wrinkled face devoid of any expression.
"Excuse me, this old woman needs some water."
His voice was hoarse, like the cry of an owl.
Before the two burly men could react, the old woman flicked her wrist.
"splash-
—
The basin of foul-smelling blood water, surprisingly, landed precisely at their feet.
Although the blood didn't splash on them, the intense, nauseating stench of blood seemed to materialize into a murderous intent, instantly dispelling the effects of their alcohol.
"Ah! This—this water is poisonous!"
One of the burly men suddenly screamed in terror.
The ground splattered with blood saw the once tenacious moss and weeds wither and turn black in the blink of an eye, eventually turning into a pool of foul-smelling black mud.
"Hiss!"
The two of them gasped in unison, took several steps back, and looked at the blind old woman as if they had seen a ghost.
This isn't some kind of fish-washing water; it's clearly poisonous water that can destroy your very bones and soul!
"roll."
The blind old woman didn't pour a second basin of water; she simply uttered a single word.
The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chilling pressure that sent shivers down one's spine.
The two burly men exchanged a glance, and dared not cause any more trouble. They turned and ran away in a panic, not even daring to pick up the ghost-head knife that had fallen to the ground.
Deathly silence returned to the area in front of the stone house.
The blind old woman, carrying the empty basin, did not immediately return to the house.
Her empty eye sockets turned to the stone door where Gu An was, and her withered, claw-like fingers tapped lightly twice on the rim of the basin.
"young people----"
She murmured something under her breath, her voice seeming to seep into the room through the crack in the door, "They did a clean job with their hands and feet, but their hearts—they're even blacker than fish intestines."
After saying that, she shook her head, turned around, went back into the house, and closed the door.
inside the house.
Gu An stood behind the door, holding several poisoned nails poised to be fired, a slight chill running down his spine.
He heard what his mother-in-law said.
This is not just an evaluation, but more like a warning, or a kind of disguised approval.
In this ruthless place, you can't survive without a ruthless heart.
"Thank you, senior."
Gu An silently recited a sentence in his heart.
He knew that after tonight's incident, no one in this rat alley would dare to knock on his door again.
Thanks to this hard-won infamous reputation, Gu An finally gained temporary peace for the next two weeks.
There was no harassment from the Black Snake Gang, and no spying from the neighbors.
He was like a ghost forgotten by the world, hiding in that dark stone chamber, struggling to maintain the balance within his body that was about to collapse while refining low-level poisons to earn a meager amount of spirit stones.
But Gu An knew very well that this peace was just an illusion.
It was like the calm before the storm.
The dragon energy within him grew stronger, and his need for "Cold Marrow Liquid" became increasingly urgent. But relying on the meager earnings from his stall in the ghost market, hoping to purchase that level of rare and precious medicinal herbs was nothing short of a pipe dream.
He must find a new way out.
A way out that would allow him to access higher-level resources while perfectly concealing his identity.
It was early morning on this day.
Gu An went to the general store at the alley entrance to buy rice, as usual.
As he passed an abandoned garbage dump, a gust of wind blew a yellowed old newspaper to his feet.
That was "Miscellaneous News from the Cultivation World" published by "Wanbaolou," which recorded various news and events in the city that never sleeps. Although most of it was useless gossip, it occasionally included some news about shops.
Gu An wanted to kick it away, but a notice in the corner of the newspaper caught his eye.
It was a recruitment notice circled in bold vermilion pen:
Hailing Pavilion is now recruiting.
[Position: Materials Sorting Apprentice/General Helper]
[Requirements: Clean background (or guarantor), basic knowledge of spiritual herbs and pharmacology, and able to endure hardship.]
[Compensation: Room and board provided, monthly salary of ten spirit stones. Outstanding performers will receive a bottle of "Sea Spirit Pill" and have the opportunity to be promoted to a formal steward, under the protection of the Sea Spirit Pavilion.]
[Note: There is a severe backlog of marine mammal materials recently, and we urgently need experienced anatomists. Those with exceptional dissection skills will be offered competitive compensation, regardless of their background!]
"Hai Ling Pavilion————"
Gu An bent down and picked up the dirty newspaper. A glint of light suddenly flashed in his cloudy eyes.
Hailing Pavilion is one of the top three merchant guilds in the City That Never Sleeps, with an unfathomable background. It is said that it has intricate connections with a certain Golden Core elder in the inner city.
Its business spans the entire Chaotic Star Sea, handling tens of thousands of sea beast materials every day.
For ordinary independent cultivators, becoming an apprentice in such a large merchant guild is like ascending to heaven in one step. Not only do they have a stable income, but they also have that enviable "protective umbrella".
But for Gu An, what attracted him most in the notice was the last sentence: "Those with exceptional anatomical skills will be offered preferential treatment, regardless of their background!"
Regardless of the source.
These four words were like a key, instantly unlocking the door to the plan that had been tightly locked in Gu An's mind.
He looked at his hands, covered in calluses and spots of poison, and a slow smile crept onto his lips.
Anatomical techniques?
Isn't this exactly what he used to do?
Moreover, as a major merchant guild, Hailing Pavilion must have all sorts of rare spiritual materials in its warehouses. As long as you can sneak in, even if you're just a low-level sorting apprentice, you'll have the opportunity to come into contact with resources that you would never normally see.
Even—that legendary "Cold Marrow Liquid".
"Looks like I'll have to make good use of this tattered body."
Gu An folded the newspaper and carefully tucked it into his pocket.
He raised his head and looked at the towering Tower of Babel in the center of the City That Never Sleeps. The deathly despair in his eyes finally faded a little, replaced by a greed and ambition like a hungry wolf seeing its prey.
"The opportunity to clear my name has arrived."