114 Puppet Jade Part 1
Zhuang Yao had been observing the battle between Yi Dong and the Castor mutant. Hundreds of bat corpses lay on the ground, entangled with broken castor bean parts. Both sides were heavily injured. When the right moment arrived, Zhuang Yao said to Tang Yanqiu, "Go and help Yi Dong kill that castor bean person."
Tang Yanqiu flew up, drawing an arrow from his back. He scraped the arrowhead on a piece of flint, causing it to ignite due to the soaked kerosene. He released the arrow, hitting the center of the Castor bean thicket.
The tangled mass of castor bean branches made it difficult to discern its head or tail, and it was challenging to find its vital points. It was a chaotic mess, making it very difficult to attack. Besides burning it all, or waiting for its energy to deplete until it reverted to human form, there seemed to be no other way to kill it. No wonder the top expert of the Wei Zi had been severely injured. The castor mutant displayed strong energy and had not exhausted its strength yet. If they continued like this, Yi Dong would likely be the first to fall. Zhuang Yao couldn't let that happen.
The castor thicket let out a human-like scream and rapidly self-severed the parts that were set on fire. Yi Dong also immediately recalled a large number of bats, fearing being burned by the flames.
Tang Yanqiu stood in mid-air, shooting down one fire arrow after another, coldly watching the castor person struggle and evade. However, with too many branches to deal with, the attack area was extensive, and it was impossible for the castor person to avoid the fire arrow's strikes. The more this happened, the less he dared to reveal his true form, fearing being struck through the heart.
Yi Dong prevented his escape, constantly launching attacks while the two of them closed in on him. The castor person's energy depletion intensified, and as the branches and vines were retracting, he could no longer sustain his mutant form. Eventually, he reverted to his human appearance. The castor person howled in desperation, "Don't kill me! If you want the Puppet Jade, I'll give it to you. Just spare my life!"
Yi Dong's voice sounded weak as he said, "Haven't you realized yet? They never intended to let you live. I finally believe it now – you never had the Puppetry Jade. Everything was their scheme."
The castor bean person still clung to hope and shouted, "I do have it! We have the Puppet Jade. Only I know where it is..."
"You don't have it," Tang Yanqiu said calmly.
The castor bean person widened his eyes, a lifeless gray appearing in them. The bat mutant rushed at him and instantly drained his body of blood.
The next moment, Yi Dong also reverted to his human form. At this moment, everyone could see the extent of his injuries. His body was nearly devoid of intact skin, covered in bloody gashes from the castor thorns. Many wounds were repeatedly slashed, making it a horrifying sight. His face was as pale as paper, and he looked almost like a lifeless corpse.
With such severe injuries, even in the civilized era of a year ago, with the support of modern medicine, it would be challenging to save his life. Losing so much blood, a person could not last long, especially in the current era where bacteria were wildly proliferating. Even a small wound could be fatal for someone with weak resistance. With extensive wounds bleeding all over his body, most people believed that Yi Dong was beyond saving.
Tang Yanqiu landed on the ground, looking at this once powerful man now on the verge of death, feeling a sense of emotion.
"Big Brother!" A distorted voice sounded from far away.
Everyone turned to look, and they saw Yi Nan, wearing oversized clothes that were clearly stripped from a dead person. He was being controlled by Cheng Tianbi and walking towards them from a distance. When he saw the bloodied Yi Dong from afar, his voice changed.
He ran frantically, kneeling in front of Yi Dong with a thump. He trembled all over and didn't even dare to touch the bloodied man.
Yi Dong calmly glanced at him, seemingly relieved to see that Yi Nan was safe.
Yi Nan carefully held Yi Dong's hand, tears swirling in his eyes, choked with emotion, "Don't die, don't die. You're all I have left. Please don't die."
Yi Dong whispered, "Sooner or later... this day will come."
Ever since they snatched the Puppet Jade, they had faced countless attacks and life-threatening situations. Although they survived until today, they knew deep down that they might lose their lives for this jade sooner or later. Yet, human greed and the mentality of being lucky coexisted, and there was always a devil's voice trying to convince them that they were the lucky ones. They kept going until there was no turning back.
"Please don't die, please don't die." Yi Nan mechanically repeated this sentence. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned his head, glaring fiercely at Cheng Tianbi. "You want the Puppet Jade? Aren't you capable of healing people? Cure my big brother first, or else even if you tear me apart, I won't give it to you!"
Cheng Tianbi said, "Hand over the Puppet Jade first."
"The Puppet Jade is not with me. My big brother won't last until then. Save him now."
Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia and nodded.
Zhuang Yao and Cong Xia slid down from Abu together. Zhuang Yao walked up to the two brothers. "I will prioritize saving his life. Once we get the Puppet Jade, I will fully heal him."
Yi Nan looked at him, with a "just as expected" expression.
Zhuang Yao said to Tang Yanqiu, "Go tell Yan Huiyang to prepare clean towels and clothes, including his, as well as ones for Liu Fengyu and Deng Xiao."
Tang Yanqiu nodded and went to find Yan Huiyang.
Zhuang Yao placed his hand on Yi Dong's skin and moved it gently. Yi Nan stared at him with wide eyes. Yi Dong was already semi-conscious due to excessive blood loss.
Cong Xia secretly cooperated with the movements of Zhuang Yao's hands, delivering energy into Yi Dong's body, repairing the wounds that were cut open.
In fact, despite Yi Dong's bloodied appearance and severe injuries, Cong Xia found that his wounds were not fatal after scanning his body with energy. He had observed the castor bean mutant; the longest thorn on his body was only three or four centimeters. The severity of the injuries came from their sheer number, resulting in significant cuts and bleeding.
The main causes of death were blood loss and bacterial infection. There were no injuries to internal organs or vital points. For Cong Xia, treating injuries that affected bones was the most energy-consuming, followed by internal injuries. In comparison, wounds on the skin and flesh like Yi Dong's were easier to handle.
However, this terrifying method of attack was even more vicious than killing someone with a single stab. Looking at the numerous wounds on Yi Dong's body, one could only imagine the pain he was enduring. In Cong Xia's view, Yi Dong's ability to transform into countless bats was already terrifying enough, with the ability to fly and suck blood, and no obvious vital points. Such an opponent was difficult to deal with.
No wonder Wei Zi had been so powerful for such a long time. Unfortunately, Yi Dong was unfortunate to encounter an opponent with a similar ability who was also elusive. The castor bean man had managed to exhaust him to the brink of collapse. Without their help, Yi Dong would have been doomed.
Cong Xia guessed that this castor bean man was probably the main combatant of Fenglan Society. His peculiar ability was beyond terrifying. If Yi Dong hadn't exhausted him, he wouldn't have been so easily forced into human form by Tang Yanqiu.
The treatment continued for more than ten minutes, and the wounds with severe bleeding were healed by Cong Xia. However, Yi Dong's body was still bleeding from more than half of the wounds.
Cheng Tianbi said, "Alright, take us to find the Puppet Jade."
Yi Dong regained some consciousness and looked at Zhuang Yao with disbelief. Although news about their team having a special ability spread throughout Beijing, actually seeing and feeling it was a different matter. He could sense a continuous stream of energy flowing into his body, gentle like a small stream, yet persistently spreading throughout his entire being, gradually replenishing his depleted energy.
Subsequently, the energy automatically concentrated at the wounds, and he could even feel his cells accelerating repair and regeneration. The wounds itched for a moment before completely healing, leaving smooth skin behind. No wonder those people were willing to exchange the Puppet Jade for this ability; it was worth far more than the value of the jade.
At that moment, Tang Yanqiu returned with the clothes that Yan Huiyang had prepared. The naked group of people quickly put on the clothes. Although it was already spring, the weather was still cold, and low temperatures were equally deadly.
Yan Huiyang stood beside them, his face dark as he looked at two brothers. Naturally, he hoped to eliminate them completely, but he knew their objective was the Puppet Jade, so for now, they wouldn't kill the two.
Tang Yanqiu carried Yi Dong back to Abu, and the others followed suit. Everyone's attention was now focused on Yi Nan.
Yi Nan said in a low voice, "If we give you the Puppet Jade, how can you guarantee that you won't kill us?"
Zhuang Yao coldly replied, "It seems like you have no other choice."
Yi Nan was about to say something more, but Yi Dong stopped him. "Take them to get the Puppet Jade. He's right; we have no other choice."
Yi Nan gritted his teeth. "Go east."
Abu carried the group of people and ran towards the east side of the city.
Yi Dong said sternly, "You knew from the beginning that the members of the Fenglan Society didn't have the Puppet Jade. To make us start the war early, you fabricated the story about them having it. How did you manage to do that?"
No one answered his question, and Yi Dong didn't expect to receive an answer. "I can think of two possibilities. First, you have a way to fabricate the energy response of the Puppet Jade. Second, you already have a Puppet Jade of your own and have deceived everyone."
Unintentionally, Yi Dong hit the nail on the head with both points. Zhuang Yao said calmly, "If we had the Puppet Jade, would we still go to such great lengths to steal yours?"
"Let me make another daring guess. The method you used to fabricate the energy response of the Puppet Jade is related to your own special ability?"
Zhuang Yao glanced at him. "Just be an honest loser. Don't ask so many questions."
Yi Dong sneered, "Going to Beijing will only end in death for you." With that, he closed his eyes and fell silent.
Yi Nan tightly held Yi Dong's hand, his expression still grave, as they both knew they hadn't escaped danger yet.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the easternmost part of the city, and Cong Xia had already sensed the powerful energy of the Puppet Jade. He silently nodded at Cheng Tianbi.
Yi Nan led them to stop in front of an inconspicuous and abandoned small community. Cheng Tianbi said to Tang Yanqiu, "You and him, go in together."
Tang Yanqiu and Yi Nan got off Abu and entered the community.
Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi, feeling a bit worried that Cheng Tianbi's Puppet Jade might have reacted. Cheng Tianbi nodded with a serious expression.
The last time they were at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the two Puppet Jades were too close to each other, and they emitted light. According to Cheng Tianbi, the two Puppet Jades would attract each other. He didn't know what would happen if they got even closer.
After a while, Tang Yanqiu and Yi Nan came out, with Tang Yanqiu holding a small wooden box in his hand.
Cheng Tianbi secretly placed his hand on his chest; the Puppet Jade on his body was producing a strong attraction that he could feel. It made him strongly desire to get closer to the Puppet Jade in Tang Yanqiu's hand.
Everyone got off Abu.
Tang Yanqiu opened the box, revealing a piece of jet-black and translucent crystal fragment inside. It seemed larger than the one they had in their hands, and its energy fluctuation was even stronger. Cong Xia felt a bit breathless. He had finally adapted to having one Puppet Jade around him, but now they added another one.
The feeling of being surrounded by two powerful energies gave him a suffocating sense of oppression. Although it was not painful, it was extremely uncomfortable. Cong Xia had to restrain the Puppet Jade's pull while also easing the heavy burden on his nerves caused by the enormous energy, which was truly exhausting.
Cheng Tianbi didn't dare to approach the Puppet Jade either. He said, "You can keep it."
Tang Yanqiu hesitated for a moment before carefully putting the box into his clothes.
Yi Nan squinted at them, "Aren't you going to test it?"
Zhuang Yao chuckled, "I believe you wouldn't dare to deceive us."
Yi Nan said in a low voice, "You don't even need to test it; you can be sure it's the Puppet Jade. My brother was right; you indeed have special abilities."
Zhuang Yao shook his head and asked, "Do you still want to live?"
114 Puppet Jade Part 1
Zhuang Yao had been observing the battle between Yi Dong and the Castor mutant. Hundreds of bat corpses lay on the ground, entangled with broken castor bean parts. Both sides were heavily injured. When the right moment arrived, Zhuang Yao said to Tang Yanqiu, "Go and help Yi Dong kill that castor bean person."
Tang Yanqiu flew up, drawing an arrow from his back. He scraped the arrowhead on a piece of flint, causing it to ignite due to the soaked kerosene. He released the arrow, hitting the center of the Castor bean thicket.
The tangled mass of castor bean branches made it difficult to discern its head or tail, and it was challenging to find its vital points. It was a chaotic mess, making it very difficult to attack. Besides burning it all, or waiting for its energy to deplete until it reverted to human form, there seemed to be no other way to kill it. No wonder the top expert of the Wei Zi had been severely injured. The castor mutant displayed strong energy and had not exhausted its strength yet. If they continued like this, Yi Dong would likely be the first to fall. Zhuang Yao couldn't let that happen.
The castor thicket let out a human-like scream and rapidly self-severed the parts that were set on fire. Yi Dong also immediately recalled a large number of bats, fearing being burned by the flames.
Tang Yanqiu stood in mid-air, shooting down one fire arrow after another, coldly watching the castor person struggle and evade. However, with too many branches to deal with, the attack area was extensive, and it was impossible for the castor person to avoid the fire arrow's strikes. The more this happened, the less he dared to reveal his true form, fearing being struck through the heart.
Yi Dong prevented his escape, constantly launching attacks while the two of them closed in on him. The castor person's energy depletion intensified, and as the branches and vines were retracting, he could no longer sustain his mutant form. Eventually, he reverted to his human appearance. The castor person howled in desperation, "Don't kill me! If you want the Puppet Jade, I'll give it to you. Just spare my life!"
Yi Dong's voice sounded weak as he said, "Haven't you realized yet? They never intended to let you live. I finally believe it now – you never had the Puppetry Jade. Everything was their scheme."
The castor bean person still clung to hope and shouted, "I do have it! We have the Puppet Jade. Only I know where it is..."
"You don't have it," Tang Yanqiu said calmly.
The castor bean person widened his eyes, a lifeless gray appearing in them. The bat mutant rushed at him and instantly drained his body of blood.
The next moment, Yi Dong also reverted to his human form. At this moment, everyone could see the extent of his injuries. His body was nearly devoid of intact skin, covered in bloody gashes from the castor thorns. Many wounds were repeatedly slashed, making it a horrifying sight. His face was as pale as paper, and he looked almost like a lifeless corpse.
With such severe injuries, even in the civilized era of a year ago, with the support of modern medicine, it would be challenging to save his life. Losing so much blood, a person could not last long, especially in the current era where bacteria were wildly proliferating. Even a small wound could be fatal for someone with weak resistance. With extensive wounds bleeding all over his body, most people believed that Yi Dong was beyond saving.
Tang Yanqiu landed on the ground, looking at this once powerful man now on the verge of death, feeling a sense of emotion.
"Big Brother!" A distorted voice sounded from far away.
Everyone turned to look, and they saw Yi Nan, wearing oversized clothes that were clearly stripped from a dead person. He was being controlled by Cheng Tianbi and walking towards them from a distance. When he saw the bloodied Yi Dong from afar, his voice changed.
He ran frantically, kneeling in front of Yi Dong with a thump. He trembled all over and didn't even dare to touch the bloodied man.
Yi Dong calmly glanced at him, seemingly relieved to see that Yi Nan was safe.
Yi Nan carefully held Yi Dong's hand, tears swirling in his eyes, choked with emotion, "Don't die, don't die. You're all I have left. Please don't die."
Yi Dong whispered, "Sooner or later... this day will come."
Ever since they snatched the Puppet Jade, they had faced countless attacks and life-threatening situations. Although they survived until today, they knew deep down that they might lose their lives for this jade sooner or later. Yet, human greed and the mentality of being lucky coexisted, and there was always a devil's voice trying to convince them that they were the lucky ones. They kept going until there was no turning back.
"Please don't die, please don't die." Yi Nan mechanically repeated this sentence. Suddenly, he remembered something and turned his head, glaring fiercely at Cheng Tianbi. "You want the Puppet Jade? Aren't you capable of healing people? Cure my big brother first, or else even if you tear me apart, I won't give it to you!"
Cheng Tianbi said, "Hand over the Puppet Jade first."
"The Puppet Jade is not with me. My big brother won't last until then. Save him now."
Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia and nodded.
Zhuang Yao and Cong Xia slid down from Abu together. Zhuang Yao walked up to the two brothers. "I will prioritize saving his life. Once we get the Puppet Jade, I will fully heal him."
Yi Nan looked at him, with a "just as expected" expression.
Zhuang Yao said to Tang Yanqiu, "Go tell Yan Huiyang to prepare clean towels and clothes, including his, as well as ones for Liu Fengyu and Deng Xiao."
Tang Yanqiu nodded and went to find Yan Huiyang.
Zhuang Yao placed his hand on Yi Dong's skin and moved it gently. Yi Nan stared at him with wide eyes. Yi Dong was already semi-conscious due to excessive blood loss.
Cong Xia secretly cooperated with the movements of Zhuang Yao's hands, delivering energy into Yi Dong's body, repairing the wounds that were cut open.
In fact, despite Yi Dong's bloodied appearance and severe injuries, Cong Xia found that his wounds were not fatal after scanning his body with energy. He had observed the castor bean mutant; the longest thorn on his body was only three or four centimeters. The severity of the injuries came from their sheer number, resulting in significant cuts and bleeding.
The main causes of death were blood loss and bacterial infection. There were no injuries to internal organs or vital points. For Cong Xia, treating injuries that affected bones was the most energy-consuming, followed by internal injuries. In comparison, wounds on the skin and flesh like Yi Dong's were easier to handle.
However, this terrifying method of attack was even more vicious than killing someone with a single stab. Looking at the numerous wounds on Yi Dong's body, one could only imagine the pain he was enduring. In Cong Xia's view, Yi Dong's ability to transform into countless bats was already terrifying enough, with the ability to fly and suck blood, and no obvious vital points. Such an opponent was difficult to deal with.
No wonder Wei Zi had been so powerful for such a long time. Unfortunately, Yi Dong was unfortunate to encounter an opponent with a similar ability who was also elusive. The castor bean man had managed to exhaust him to the brink of collapse. Without their help, Yi Dong would have been doomed.
Cong Xia guessed that this castor bean man was probably the main combatant of Fenglan Society. His peculiar ability was beyond terrifying. If Yi Dong hadn't exhausted him, he wouldn't have been so easily forced into human form by Tang Yanqiu.
The treatment continued for more than ten minutes, and the wounds with severe bleeding were healed by Cong Xia. However, Yi Dong's body was still bleeding from more than half of the wounds.
Cheng Tianbi said, "Alright, take us to find the Puppet Jade."
Yi Dong regained some consciousness and looked at Zhuang Yao with disbelief. Although news about their team having a special ability spread throughout Beijing, actually seeing and feeling it was a different matter. He could sense a continuous stream of energy flowing into his body, gentle like a small stream, yet persistently spreading throughout his entire being, gradually replenishing his depleted energy.
Subsequently, the energy automatically concentrated at the wounds, and he could even feel his cells accelerating repair and regeneration. The wounds itched for a moment before completely healing, leaving smooth skin behind. No wonder those people were willing to exchange the Puppet Jade for this ability; it was worth far more than the value of the jade.
At that moment, Tang Yanqiu returned with the clothes that Yan Huiyang had prepared. The naked group of people quickly put on the clothes. Although it was already spring, the weather was still cold, and low temperatures were equally deadly.
Yan Huiyang stood beside them, his face dark as he looked at two brothers. Naturally, he hoped to eliminate them completely, but he knew their objective was the Puppet Jade, so for now, they wouldn't kill the two.
Tang Yanqiu carried Yi Dong back to Abu, and the others followed suit. Everyone's attention was now focused on Yi Nan.
Yi Nan said in a low voice, "If we give you the Puppet Jade, how can you guarantee that you won't kill us?"
Zhuang Yao coldly replied, "It seems like you have no other choice."
Yi Nan was about to say something more, but Yi Dong stopped him. "Take them to get the Puppet Jade. He's right; we have no other choice."
Yi Nan gritted his teeth. "Go east."
Abu carried the group of people and ran towards the east side of the city.
Yi Dong said sternly, "You knew from the beginning that the members of the Fenglan Society didn't have the Puppet Jade. To make us start the war early, you fabricated the story about them having it. How did you manage to do that?"
No one answered his question, and Yi Dong didn't expect to receive an answer. "I can think of two possibilities. First, you have a way to fabricate the energy response of the Puppet Jade. Second, you already have a Puppet Jade of your own and have deceived everyone."
Unintentionally, Yi Dong hit the nail on the head with both points. Zhuang Yao said calmly, "If we had the Puppet Jade, would we still go to such great lengths to steal yours?"
"Let me make another daring guess. The method you used to fabricate the energy response of the Puppet Jade is related to your own special ability?"
Zhuang Yao glanced at him. "Just be an honest loser. Don't ask so many questions."
Yi Dong sneered, "Going to Beijing will only end in death for you." With that, he closed his eyes and fell silent.
Yi Nan tightly held Yi Dong's hand, his expression still grave, as they both knew they hadn't escaped danger yet.
Half an hour later, they arrived at the easternmost part of the city, and Cong Xia had already sensed the powerful energy of the Puppet Jade. He silently nodded at Cheng Tianbi.
Yi Nan led them to stop in front of an inconspicuous and abandoned small community. Cheng Tianbi said to Tang Yanqiu, "You and him, go in together."
Tang Yanqiu and Yi Nan got off Abu and entered the community.
Cong Xia looked at Cheng Tianbi, feeling a bit worried that Cheng Tianbi's Puppet Jade might have reacted. Cheng Tianbi nodded with a serious expression.
The last time they were at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda, the two Puppet Jades were too close to each other, and they emitted light. According to Cheng Tianbi, the two Puppet Jades would attract each other. He didn't know what would happen if they got even closer.
After a while, Tang Yanqiu and Yi Nan came out, with Tang Yanqiu holding a small wooden box in his hand.
Cheng Tianbi secretly placed his hand on his chest; the Puppet Jade on his body was producing a strong attraction that he could feel. It made him strongly desire to get closer to the Puppet Jade in Tang Yanqiu's hand.
Everyone got off Abu.
Tang Yanqiu opened the box, revealing a piece of jet-black and translucent crystal fragment inside. It seemed larger than the one they had in their hands, and its energy fluctuation was even stronger. Cong Xia felt a bit breathless. He had finally adapted to having one Puppet Jade around him, but now they added another one.
The feeling of being surrounded by two powerful energies gave him a suffocating sense of oppression. Although it was not painful, it was extremely uncomfortable. Cong Xia had to restrain the Puppet Jade's pull while also easing the heavy burden on his nerves caused by the enormous energy, which was truly exhausting.
Cheng Tianbi didn't dare to approach the Puppet Jade either. He said, "You can keep it."
Tang Yanqiu hesitated for a moment before carefully putting the box into his clothes.
Yi Nan squinted at them, "Aren't you going to test it?"
Zhuang Yao chuckled, "I believe you wouldn't dare to deceive us."
Yi Nan said in a low voice, "You don't even need to test it; you can be sure it's the Puppet Jade. My brother was right; you indeed have special abilities."
Zhuang Yao shook his head and asked, "Do you still want to live?"
