20demayo Chapter 89 Blood Sacrifice
Chapter 89 Blood Sacrifice
Chapter 89 Blood Sacrifice
The side room in the backyard of the garrison.
Liang Cheng used his internal energy to heal Lin Yue's injuries. Half an hour later, Lin Yue's face finally regained some color. He leaned against the couch, looking at the gradually brightening sky outside the window, and remained silent for a long time.
"Dongshan Mine is one of the largest mineral resources in Linwu City. The City Lord's Mansion, the Martial Arts Hall, and the Qin Family's Hundred Weapons Workshop—almost half of the mineral resources come from Dongshan Mine."
"My Lin family was fortunate to thrive thanks to the Dongshan Mine, but eight years ago, everything began to change because of the emergence of Zoroastrianism."
"At that time, the Zoroastrians directly captured 357 miners and performed a blood sacrifice deep in Cave No. 3. I led people to investigate, but we found nothing."
Liang Cheng listened quietly: "And then?"
"And then?" Lin Yue smiled bitterly, "Then a letter appeared at my Lin family's door, saying either cooperate or they would kill people every day until the Lin family agreed."
"You chose to cooperate."
"no."
"I reported this to the previous garrison commander, and then ten members of my Lin family died."
"After that, the previous generation of garrison commander died mysteriously. When the city lord's mansion came to investigate, they found nothing. I was scared. From then on, the Lin family was stigmatized and forced to cut off mine resources to support them."
"People from the city lord's mansion came, the military equipment hall investigated the case, and even powerful families like the Qin family pressured for the mine, but people still died, and no results could be found."
The previous garrison commander couldn't control the situation and was transferred. I realized they weren't there to solve the problem, but to divide the mine.
"During that period, people were dying every day at Dongshan Mine because of the pursuit by various forces of the City Lord's Mansion. I thought the City Lord's Mansion could change the situation, but in the end, I was only disappointed."
"The city lord's mansion seems to have problems. What am I supposed to do?"
"I just want the Dongshan Mine to be safe and sound, but you are indeed different from the previous garrison commander, which makes me want to take a gamble."
"Furthermore, you are a true disciple of the Martial Arts Academy, which is why I made up my mind."
He suddenly started coughing violently, and Liang Cheng handed him a glass of water: "It seems you've learned the Blood-Corroding Technique of the Zoroastrian Church."
"Everyone needs to have some trump cards," Lin Yue said with a bitter smile. "The Blood Corrosion Technique progresses quickly. For the past few years, I have had to endure the pain of my meridians being gnawed by insects every night, but I thought that maybe one day I could use it."
"You used it last night."
Lin Yue took a deep breath. "Last night was the most peaceful night I've had in eight years. Commander Liang, you're really different from the previous commanders."
"If it weren't for you, even if I died yesterday, it would have been in vain against those three powerful enemies with true qi. But you must remember, the Fire Worship Cult is far more complex than that."
Silence fell over the room for a moment.
After a long silence, Liang Cheng asked, "Patriarch Lin, how many members does the Fire Worship Cult still have at the Dongshan Mine? Where exactly is their stronghold?"
Lin Yue shook his head. "I don't know anything, but I've secretly explored the secret passage deep inside Cave No. 3, which leads to an even deeper underground fissure, and I didn't find anything."
"On the contrary, it angered the Zoroastrians, and another miner died that day, his death was gruesome."
Just then, Zhao Yuan's hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door: "Senior brother! People from the Martial Academy are here!"
"Who?"
"It's Elder Huang! He's come in person and is already in the front hall!"
Liang Cheng suddenly stood up.
Old Master Huang actually came in person?
Dongshan Mine, the front hall of the garrison.
Old Huang was still wearing that old, dusty robe, standing in the hall with his hands behind his back, squinting at a panoramic view of the Dongshan Mine hanging on the wall.
Hearing footsteps, he didn't turn around: "Kid, that stone you brought over is interesting. Where did you find it?"
Liang Cheng strode forward, somewhat surprised and delighted: "Old Huang, why did you come in person?"
Old Huang's small eyes gleamed with a sharp light. "I've been improving the pill formula recently. Your stone can nourish qi and blood, similar to the effect of the Breakthrough Pill. However, the qi and blood are impure, which is not the right path. I've had some inspiration, so I came to take a look."
"Where was that thing found?"
"Would you like to take a look at the No. 3 pit at Dongshan Mine?"
"lead the way."
Meanwhile, fifty miles away from Dongshan Mine.
A few eerie green phosphorescent flames burned in the damp cave, illuminating the twisted, blood-red runes on the cave walls. The last remaining gray-robed protector knelt in the cave, his wounds charred black from being branded with a red-hot iron, yet still unable to stop the black blood from seeping out.
A dark red figure stood with its back to him.
"Lord Left Envoy," the Protector's voice trembled, "I failed in my duty; the altar was destroyed, and my second and third sons were both killed."
The crimson figure slowly turned around, its bronze mask gleaming coldly in the phosphorescent light: "Explain yourself clearly."
The guardian dared not raise his head and recounted the events of the previous night in detail. Lin Yue's sudden betrayal detonated the altar, and of the three, only he returned.
"Liang Cheng? It's him again?" The Left Envoy's voice was devoid of emotion. "The martial arts academy's true disciples always manage to surprise us."
"Your subordinate is incompetent!" The protector banged his head on the ground. "But that Liang Cheng is truly wicked. He's only recently entered the True Qi Realm, but his combat power is immense. And that old dog Lin Yue secretly learned the Blood-Corroding Technique. We were all deceived by him!"
"However, after I detonate the altar, Liang Cheng will be seriously injured even if he doesn't die. As long as you take action again, the Dongshan Mine won't descend into chaos."
-
The Left Envoy's voice carried a hint of amusement, "Eight years ago, I thought Lin Yue had resigned himself to his fate, but I never expected him to harbor such a rebellious streak and endure it for eight years."
"My lord, the altar has been destroyed. What should we do now?"
"The plan is temporarily shelved."
The protector was startled upon hearing this: "Set aside? But what about the sect leader—"
The Left Envoy interrupted him directly, "There are other important matters in the church at the moment. Pass down the order: you will take all the marked miners from the mine to the depths of the rift in stages for backup."
The protector trembled: "All of them? That's at least three hundred people. Won't that cause too much of a commotion?"
"So take your time, there's no rush. Also, send a message to that guy in Linwu City and tell him that he can come and pick up what he wants in a month, but he has to give something in return."
"yes!"
The protector bowed and accepted the order, then hesitated and said, "But with Shen Jun's return from Linwu City, it might be inconvenient for that person—"
"He won't be inconvenienced." The Left Envoy turned and looked into the vast night. "Eight years ago, he dared to cooperate with me; eight years later, he has no choice."
The guardian dared not say another word, clutching his wound and staggering back.
Half an hour later, deep inside Cave No. 3.
Old Huang squatted in front of the broken altar, picked up a bit of dark red powder with his fingertips, sniffed it, and then licked it with his tongue.
Liang Cheng's brows twitched as he watched; the old man seemed immune to all poisons.
"The purity is not low."
Old Huang spat out the powder, clapped his hands, and stood up. "This thing has been nourished by blood sacrifice for at least five years. It seems that the Zoroastrian Church has been planning its operations in the Dongshan Mine for a long time."
He looked around, his gaze settling on the entrance to the secret passage where Lin Yue had blocked the flow of blood energy: "When the blood-fiend energy erupted, it rushed towards this side?"
"Yes."
"So you're alright, kid?"
Suddenly, Old Huang's eyes lit up, and with a swift movement of his hands, Liang Cheng felt a blur before his eyes, and his arm was already gripped by the withered fingers.
He instinctively tried to resist with his internal energy, but the force was like a mud ox sinking into the sea, completely unmoved. Liang Cheng's eyes widened. Just what level of cultivation did this old monster have? He himself was a True Qi Realm expert.
Previously, when I was gathering herbs, I was only at the initial stage of the Transformation Realm and I was able to accept the mission. What exactly is going on with Elder Huang?
Ignoring Liang Cheng's strange look, Old Huang pinched Liang Cheng's arm and said, "You kid, you really won't help me test the medicine? It's definitely not as dangerous as last night's blood energy outburst, and it can even help you improve your cultivation."
Liang Cheng quickly shook his head.
Old Huang shoved Liang Cheng's arm down. "You're weak. What a stubborn brat. You dare to gamble at Dongshan Mine, but you don't dare try a drug?"
Liang Cheng quickly changed the subject, "Elder Huang, what exactly does the Zoroastrianism want to do?"
"Kid, the Fire Worship Cult doesn't want just a few stones. They want to use the entire East Mountain mine to refine a huge Blood Fiend Pool. At that time, they can use Blood Marrow Jade as a base to generate Blood Fiend, cultivate a large number of experts who cultivate Blood Erosion Force, and even accumulate some True Qi Realm experts. This is quite a big move."
Liang Cheng felt a chill run down his spine. The True Qi Realm was incredibly difficult to achieve. Even a prodigy like Wang Teng was reportedly still recovering from his injuries and rebuilding his foundation.
"Can they do it?"
"If there is enough time and enough human blood sacrifices, of course it is possible."
Old Huang sneered, "However, with the altar destroyed last night, their plans will be delayed by at least three years, unless they've gone mad—"
"What do you mean they're crazy?"
Liang Cheng wanted to ask more, but Old Huang had already stood up. "Alright, now that you've seen the altar, you know what's going on. You know, the Zoroastrianism is really something. I already have some ideas—"
Liang Cheng was silent for a moment: "Elder Huang, you know how to set up formations?"
"Of course, alchemy and formations are inseparable; they both involve the allocation of energy, just with different focuses. What, you want to learn? Help me test the medicine, and I might consider it."
Liang Cheng quickly shook his head. With his mayfly destiny, he had no bottlenecks and was bound to achieve something. How could he possibly test medicine unless absolutely necessary?
When Fan Jiangjiao's men were injured, they had no choice but to take a gamble.
At this moment, Old Huang turned and left, and Liang Cheng quickly followed.
Liang Cheng escorted Elder Huang back to his room. Not long after, Lin Chong received the news and came to pick up Lin Yue to return to the mansion.
Before the carriage started moving, Lin Yue gripped Liang Cheng's wrist tightly and said in a low voice, "Remember, the water in the City Lord's Mansion is deeper than in the mine. Be careful."
Liang Cheng simply nodded, and the wheels rolled over the gravel, carrying the seriously injured Lin Yue and the worried Lin Chong away.
That night, the study in the garrison was brightly lit.
"Zhao Yuan," Liang Cheng pointed to the map, "your men keep a close watch on Chen Ping and his men. It's better to gain nothing than to be discovered by them. Report your whereabouts to me before nightfall every day."
"Li Mu, Lu Ming, the steward of the Lu family, and those other stewards of the Lin family, you also need to send people to keep a close eye on them and remember all the information."
"Starting tomorrow, the mining area will only have two entrances, east and west. The patrol routes will be randomized daily, and only the three of us will know the list."
Zhao Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Senior brother, do you suspect there's a mole among us?"
Liang Cheng did not answer: "Just do as you are told."
After returning from the mine, Old Huang hid in the side room, refusing to come out, seemingly engrossed in studying something.
-
Liang Cheng lived a secluded life, devoting himself entirely to cultivation except for listening to daily reports, and daring not to slack off in the slightest.
The following days were uneventful, which made Liang Cheng somewhat suspicious. Was the Zoroastrian Church brewing some kind of grand conspiracy? He became even more cautious.
However, Liang Cheng could only respond to the situation by remaining unchanged. With the cooperation of the Lin family, the affairs of Dongshan Mine became increasingly smooth.
Besides handling mining affairs, Liang Cheng devoted all his remaining time to cultivation. This time, Elder Huang brought ample resources of medicinal pills with him.
The sound of surging internal energy in the quiet room was almost constant, coupled with the sounds of wind and thunder striking, which sometimes made Zhao Yuan and Li Mu feel their blood boil when they listened from outside the courtyard.
After a month, Liang Chengxiu's skills improved once again.
[The Second Level of the Broken Wave Technique: Beginner (1027/2000)]
[Mysterious Yin Sword Technique: Beginner (1212/1500)]
【Wind and Thunder Slash: Minor Success (3603/5000)】
[Stone Armor Technique (Golden Armor): Mastery (1557/10000)]
That day, Liang Cheng suddenly summoned Zhao Yuan and Li Mu.
"Senior brother, what do you need us for?"
-
Liang Cheng patted the two men on the shoulders, his voice steady. During this time, Liang Cheng had given them plenty of Qi and Blood Pills, and their progress was now quite obvious.
"It's nothing serious, it's just that the annual Autumn Competition of the Martial Academy is coming soon, you should go back for a visit."
Zhao Yuan and Li Mu panicked, "Senior brother, are you abandoning us?"
Liang Cheng laughed, "What are you thinking? You'll be back after the competition, and now that you've established a solid foundation, you can exchange for the internal cultivation method when you get back."
"By the way, bring over your identity jade tokens, and I'll transfer your contribution points to you."
Li Mu and Zhao Yuan were filled with mixed emotions, their eyes reddening, unsure of what to say. Liang Cheng laughed, "Stop being so fussy, just bring out the jade pendant."
After Liang Cheng transferred the contribution points, he said, "Do a good job in this competition, don't embarrass me. By the way, Elder Huang is also going back this time, please take care of him on the way."
"I've got it, senior brother, don't worry."
"We will definitely not let you down in this competition."
"Alright, focus on the competition and try to enter the Earthly Abode. You've accumulated enough experience. As long as you stay calm, there shouldn't be any major problems."
"Go ahead, Old Huang is waiting for the convoy."
"what?"
"So soon? What will happen to our defenses if we leave?"
"Don't worry, someone's there."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Chong walked into the garrison from outside.
"Lin Chong has met with the garrison commander."
Li Mu and Zhao Yuan were relieved. They greeted Lin Chong, bowed, and left in large strides.
Liang Cheng watched from afar as Old Huang cursed and directed Zhao Yuan and Li Mu to move things. This time, Old Huang took quite a lot of things with him.
Otherwise, how could he keep his contribution points and transfer them to Zhao Yuan and Li Mu?
He dared not see him off in person, for fear that Old Master Huang might change his mind, which would be a loss.
Watching the convoy depart, his expression turned serious. "Lin Chong, you said you had something important to report. What happened?"
"Stationed? Another miner has gone missing?"
"Hmm? Come in and talk."
Two days ago, three miners who were off their night shift disappeared at a fork in the road on their way home. There were no footprints on the ground, no signs of struggle, and no sound at all.
It was only because they didn't show up for work today that we realized there was a problem.
Is Zoroastrianism making a comeback?
-
Liang Cheng's expression was serious. "Lin Chong, the garrison and your Lin family will form a joint defense force, under your command, to investigate this matter. What do you say?"
Lin Chong nodded. Since Liang Cheng trusted him so much, and Lin Yue was seriously injured, he had already decided to follow Liang Cheng, so he naturally wouldn't refuse. Lin Chong would patrol day and night from now on. However, every two or three days, someone would go missing, sometimes one, sometimes two or three.
Moreover, the patrol team always arrived a step too late, and they never met face to face.
"It seems there's a mole tipping us off."
Liang Cheng connected the locations of the incidents with lines and marked them on a map. "The timing was too precise. This mole knew quite a lot."
He drew a fake deployment map, highlighting several empty sheds in the east, and then "accidentally" let Chen Ping see it.
That night, Liang Cheng personally lay in ambush in the eastern shed area. The night passed, and apart from the cold dew and the chirping of insects, nothing happened.
He sneered inwardly. Either Chen Ping was calm and collected, or this mole was hiding deeper than he thought. Now, he could only focus on defense and there was no other way.
Just then, Wu Zhenshan suddenly arrived, and the flag of the Military Equipment Hall was planted directly at the entrance of Dongshan Mine.
Wu Zhenshan, leading fifty elite armored soldiers, entered the garrison with a smile and bowed, saying, "Governor Liang, the Martial Academy says that traces of the Zoroastrian cult have been discovered near the Dongshan Mine. I have come here on the orders of the Deputy City Lord to assist in the suppression of the cult and to obey Governor Liang's orders."
At this point, he added with admiration, "I heard that the garrison commander killed a True Qi Realm protector of the Zoroastrian sect; he's young and promising, I admire him!"
Liang Cheng greeted him with a smile. He had previously asked Elder Huang to report the whereabouts of the Dongshan Mine cult to the Martial Academy, expecting the Martial Academy to inform the City Lord's Mansion. However, he did not expect that it would be Wu Zhenshan from the Martial Arts Hall who came in person.
The two smiled broadly, showing no sign of any rift between them. That night, Lin Yue appeared, pale-faced. Although he was still recovering from his injuries, he forced himself to show up upon hearing of Wu Zhenshan's arrival to avoid being impolite.
Wu Zhenshan held Lin Yue's hand and said, "Brother Lin, you've suffered these past few years."
Lin Yue smiled but didn't say anything. After a while, he made an excuse that he was still seriously injured and went back to his residence first. When Liang Cheng saw him off, Lin Yue carefully reminded him.
"Be careful, this guy's come at a really bad time."
Liang Cheng nodded slightly without saying anything.
The next day, Liang Cheng accompanied Wu Zhenshan on a mine inspection and casually mentioned, "Treasurer Wu, your arrival is just in time. Recently, miners have been going missing, and I'm a bit short-handed. Could you help me investigate?"
Wu Zhenshan stroked his beard, his face grave: "Right now, the most important thing is to protect the miners and stabilize morale. Our Military Equipment Hall naturally has an inescapable responsibility for this."
Then, for the next three days, the people who had been missing for half a month suddenly stopped disappearing, as if the arrival of the Military Equipment Hall had deterred the villains in the shadows.
The atmosphere at Dongshan Mine eased slightly, and mining operations seemed to return to normal.
Just then, Li Mu and Zhao Yuan returned. They had changed into white robes with silver trim and exchanged for internal cultivation techniques. They were excited when they saw Liang Cheng.
"Senior brother, we're back."
"Not bad, you didn't disappoint us."
"Senior brother, this is dried fish from your aunt. She's doing well at the martial arts academy, so don't worry."
"That's good."
"There's one more thing. Senior Brother Yun Jinghong has entered the Heavenly Abode. He's been in the Martial Tempering Pool these past few days. Master Lü and the others say that the Martial Academy has no successors. They've produced one prodigy after another. You've set a good example."
At this point, Zhao Yuan lowered his voice.
"The Master asked us to pass on a message: you are free to do as you please in the Dongshan Mine without any burdens; the Martial Academy is behind you."
Liang Cheng nodded slightly.
Just then, Wu Zhenshan strode over with his men.
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