Chapter Four: The Poisonous Hand

Chen Dong fled in a frantic panic, stumbling and falling every few steps like a commoner who had just encountered a grim reaper. As he ran, his hair became disheveled and his body was smeared with mud, making him look like a savage who had just emerged from the wilderness. He was the very picture of wretchedness.

Finally, he reached the entrance of the village. By then, the sun was high in the sky, and the villagers were heading out to work in the fields.

"Poisonous hands!"

Upon seeing the village, Chen Dong rushed in like a madman, his mouth repeating only those two words: "Poisonous hands!" Before he could even reach his home, his vision blurred, his body tilted, and he collapsed on the road.

Chen Dong held some status in the village, thanks to his grandfather, Chen Daode, who was the village chief, and his own reputation as a budding cultivation prodigy. A few burly men carried him back to the Chen family estate and handed him over to his grandfather.

Mo Fan did not linger in the mountains—not because he dared not, nor because he did not want to, but because he could not.

About a dozen miles away from this small mountain lay a famous place called Yao Ridge. It was a land of yearning for many, known for its abundance of rare treasures, divine herbs, and immortal vines. Yet, despite these riches, few dared to set foot there. The reason was simple: the mountain was infested with ferocious beasts.

Though these beasts were not native to Yao Ridge, they, like humans, required rare treasures to cultivate and divine herbs to staunch their bleeding and heal their wounds. However, even these beasts met their end, and it was said that the one who slew them was a strange man.

As soon as Mo Fan entered a village not far from Yao Ridge, he heard much talk. Rumors were rampant, claiming that the ridge was home not only to beasts but also to a freak—a man with a face as white as a corpse crawled from a grave, coughing incessantly, limping along the mountain paths with a broken sword always propped against the ground. The local villagers had even posted warnings, advising anyone entering the mountains to be cautious: if you heard the sound of coughing, you had better beware, for he was a presence far more terrifying than the beasts themselves.

Mo Fan wrapped his entire face in a piece of cotton cloth, leaving only his small, darting eyes exposed. Along the way, he dared not greet anyone, fearing they would be repulsed by the foul stench emanating from his body. Crouched beside a small tea stall where villagers often gathered, he nibbled cautiously on his dry rations while listening to the patrons discuss the secrets of Yao Ridge.

He had first learned of the divine herbs and treasures of Yao Ridge from Old Li, the village storyteller. As for whether the place truly existed, he was willing to take a chance. He could no longer return to God’s Tomb Village, so he might as well venture forth; perhaps he would find an opportunity. When his grandfather was alive, he often told Mo Fan: "Opportunity is something you cannot seek; it is a matter of fate. If you can grasp it once in your lifetime, it will allow you to stand firm in this world and rank among the strong."

He had only intended to try his luck, but it turned out the place was real. Mo Fan remained crouched there, hoping to gather more information, but the talk kept returning to the strange man or trivial village gossip. Uninterested in these domestic matters, Mo Fan decided to enter the mountains.

One cannot rely solely on ears to judge extraordinary things; one must see for oneself. Only then would he know the truth.

"Greetings, everyone. We are from God’s Tomb Village. We have come today for no other reason than to find this person."

Mo Fan had only walked a short distance when he heard these words from nearby. He quickly ducked into hiding to observe. He saw five or six burly men, each holding a portrait, inquiring about the person depicted.

"They came so fast!" Mo Fan whispered. He knew they were looking for him. With a slight frown, he bypassed the crowd and headed toward the forest alone. Since the people from God’s Tomb Village had already caught up, it meant the events on the mountain from the previous night had been exposed. Chen Dong must have returned to the village, and the information had likely come from his lips; otherwise, these men would not have arrived so quickly.

As Mo Fan walked, he pondered how to resolve the situation. In truth, he had wronged Chen Dong. When Chen Dong returned home, he had only muttered "poisonous hands" and said nothing else. As for why, in Chen Dong's own words later: "It was not that I dared not speak, but that I did not want to."

The corpses of the youths he had killed were discovered by an old hunter. It was Old Wang, known in God’s Tomb Village as the "Ghost-Hand Divine Physician," who had concluded that Mo Fan was the one who had used the poison. Upon learning this, Chen Daode issued an order to hunt Mo Fan down from all directions. Within a few hours, the neighboring villages all knew that a youth had emerged from God’s Tomb Village, covered in toxic sores and capable of killing without a trace.

Mo Fan had estimated that even if they left at dawn, the people from God’s Tomb Village would not arrive until evening, given that he had walked for an entire night to get there. Unfortunately, his estimate was wrong. They had caught up in just a few hours. The reason was that Mo Fan did not know that on this continent, besides riding clouds or flying on swords, there were mounts used for travel.

The burly men showed the portrait of Mo Fan and spread the rumors about his toxic sores to everyone they met, fulfilling their young master's request to ruin Mo Fan's reputation. Once done, they set off for the next location.

"Big Brother, are we really going to Yao Ridge?" On the mountain road to the ridge, several young men and women were riding ferocious-looking mounts, swaying as they hurried into the mountains.

The speaker was a young girl in a pink dress, appearing to be about the same age as Mo Fan, around eleven or twelve. Her bright, sparkling eyes were unforgettable, and her flawless, slightly childish face was mesmerizing and enchanting. Sitting atop a large, fiery-red bird, she soared in mid-air, appearing superior to all. Because of this, her parents had named her Hong Luan. She blinked her large eyes, staring at the youth in white robes whose brows carried a sharp, heroic spirit, waiting for his answer.

The youth did not evade her question. "Hong Luan, you know that our ancestor has been poisoned for years. The clan has exhausted countless treasures, but we have only been able to suppress the toxins, not expel them. We are heading to Yao Ridge primarily to search for a divine herb called the Fire Spirit Grass. It is said to have the power to suppress the spread of toxins. If we can obtain this herb, we might be able to stop the poison from spreading further. Then, our Ning family will become the hegemon of Danyang County, and even the entire Ganzhou Prefecture. No one will ever dare to trample on us again."

"Exactly! Since the ancestor was poisoned, the Wang and Shangguan families have looked down on our Ning family. Not long ago, they openly spread rumors in Danyang County that they wanted to take Miss Hong Luan as a concubine for their old master. It is infuriating!"

"Indeed! If the eldest and second young masters hadn't held us back, I would have killed that bastard Wang Baobao myself."

"And that damned fool from the Shangguan family—every time he sees our exotic beasts, he drools and foolishly goes around saying that one day he will eat them all to break through to the Bone-Body realm."

"Sigh! Don't mention them. Just thinking about the Wang and Shangguan families makes my head ache."

Whenever the youth mentioned the old affairs of Danyang County, the group became agitated. It seemed they were at deep odds with the Wang and Shangguan families. Their anger was only dampened by a joke from a sturdy youth among them.

"But Big Brother, I've heard there is a freak on Yao Ridge who does nothing but cough and limp. They say the long sword in his hand is more terrifying than the beasts that come seeking herbs. If we run into him on this trip, then..."

One of the youths in the group spoke with worry, his handsome face—matching those of Hong Luan and the eldest brother—clouded with unnecessary anxiety. Everyone knew what he was talking about. The previously excited Ning family disciples suddenly wilted like frostbitten eggplants, their expressions turning ghastly.

In truth, they had only heard rumors of this freak and had never seen him. But there is no smoke without fire; since the rumors were so vivid and widespread, the matter could not be taken lightly.

Led by the eldest Ning young master, the group passed through the forest, swaying as they headed toward Yao Ridge. Though they were fearful, no one turned back. On the mountain road, five or six burly men on exotic horses followed behind the Ning family, their target seemingly the same.

At the very front of the mountain path, a youth dressed in rags, his face completely covered, walked step by step, the aura exuding from his body causing insects to dance wildly and wild beasts to howl in the forest.