Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 213: Barbarians (II)

Lin Zheyu took a small pill from his robe and handed it over. It was a Corpse Insect Pill, one that required corpse poison to make. Once ingested, the toxin would flare every seven days, causing searing pain in the heart and the sensation of countless insects gnawing through the flesh. It was an agony beyond endurance.

The living corpse Lin Zheyu had once found in Daba Mountain was gone when he later returned with greater strength. However, within the coffin that had once nurtured the living corpse, Lin Zheyu discovered a large amount of corpse poison. Using that, he managed to refine four Corpse Insect Pills.

"Alright!" Lai Mao gritted his teeth and replied in a low voice. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

A man beneath the eaves has no choice but to bow his head. He knew that if he refused to swallow the pill, he would not live. Taking the pill from Lin Zheyu's hand, Lai Mao sniffed it lightly, swiftly analyzing its ingredients in his mind.

"Hmph!" Lin Zheyu gave a faint snort.

Lai Mao's body trembled. Not daring to hesitate, he quickly swallowed the Corpse Insect Pill.

"Very good. Now, go back to the inn. After dinner, copy the cultivation manual for me. And remember, don't wander off. If you leave this market and I catch you, you know what will happen," Lin Zheyu said with a smile, patting Lai Mao on the shoulder.

This was Lin Zheyu's first time using the Corpse Insect Pill, and Lai Mao happened to be a convenient test subject. According to the Toxicology Codex, the Corpse Insect Pill could easily control martial artists below the third transformation of blood qi.

In theory, it should work on any martial artist below the Marrow Refining Realm. But that was only in theory; Lai Mao was already at the fourth transformation, so whether it would work had yet to be proven. As for those in the Marrow Refining Realm, the pill was completely ineffective.

After tempering their marrow and renewing their blood, martial artists of the Marrow Refining Realm possessed tremendous vitality and physiques. Ordinary poisons or narcotics were useless against them, unless the dosage was increased by dozens or even hundreds of times. But at such amounts, even a fool would notice, let alone a Marrow Refining Realm martial artist.

***

On the street, the crowd flowed endlessly. Pale moonlight spilled down, mingling with the warm glow of lanterns, casting shifting light over Lai Mao's face. Dark one moment, bright the next, his expression flickered with uncertainty.

Damn it! Lai Mao cursed inwardly, anger burning in his chest with nowhere to vent.

Had he known earlier, he would have let his brother Lai Chang fend for himself. He always knew that brainless fool, ruled by his lust, would only bring him trouble once they reached the Central Plains.

What kind of poison did I just take? The taste is familiar... one of the ingredients seems to be corpse poison. Could it be a Yin Corpse Pill? Or Underworld Net Pill? Or perhaps the Corpse Insect Pill? Lai Mao pondered, recalling all the medicinal pills he knew that could be refined from corpse poison.

As a martial artist who had reached the fourth transformation, Lai Mao was considered a top-tier expert in Bafang City and had a fair understanding of common poisons.

Damn it. Pills made from corpse poison are notoriously difficult to detoxify. Of these types, I only know the antidote and symptom-relief formula for the Yin Corpse Pill. I've no clue about the others.

Lai Mao's mind raced, searching every memory he had, but no solution surfaced.

The antidotes for such poisons could not be taken carelessly, as they were themselves highly toxic. Without knowing which poison he had been afflicted with, taking the wrong antidote could easily lead to a worse outcome, failing to neutralize the poison while succumbing to another.

If all else fails, I'll just have to endure it until I break through to the Marrow Refining Realm. With the vitality and physique of that realm, I might be able to resist it through sheer strength, Lai Mao thought, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

In a dark corner, a pair of eyes watched Lai Mao. It was Lin Zheyu, who had returned after pretending to go into the inn. Hidden in the shadows, he observed Lai Mao's every reaction, ensuring the man wouldn't attempt to slip away.

He doesn't seem to have recognized the Corpse Insect Pill. Or maybe he did, but pretended not to? Lin Zheyu thought to himself.

Since he couldn't tell whether Lai Mao was feigning ignorance, Lin Zheyu decided not to bother. He had only given the pill out of curiosity to test its effects. Even if Lai Mao managed to detoxify it, it didn't matter. At his current level, the Corpse Insect Pill held little value.

When he returned to the inn, Liang Yuhan and the others had already finished eating. Liang Yunhui was teasing Little Black, who was still engrossed in food. Seeing that Little Black wasn't full yet, they had ordered several more plates of roasted meat.

"Need any help?" Liang Yuhan asked.

"It's fine. The problem's settled. I might stay here a few more days, however. If you're in a hurry, you can head to Wuling City first," Lin Zheyu said.

He planned to set off only after obtaining Lai Mao's copied technique. The journey would give him time to study the new cultivation art and expand his martial knowledge. With more knowledge accumulated, it would help immensely in improving existing techniques or even creating new ones in the future.

"Then stay a few more days. We're not in a rush either," Liang Yuhan replied calmly. They had already spent months traveling from Bafang City to this place; a few more days made no difference.

"Alright. I'll step out for a bit, then. Be careful around Lai Mao," Lin Zheyu said, before grabbing Little Black by the scruff of its neck and lifting it.

Hiss.

Interrupted mid-meal, Little Black bared its teeth in irritation, but the moment Lin Zheyu glanced at it, the creature immediately quieted down.

The inn's manager was efficient. Lin Zheyu went upstairs and glanced into the room he had used earlier. Lai Chang's corpse was gone, and the place had been cleaned spotless. Back in his own room, he sorted through the items taken from Lai Mao. The man carried far more silver than his brother, over 5,000 taels of silver. Besides money, there were poisons, powders, and various hidden weapons.

"These two were quite wealthy. Together, they had nearly 10,000 taels of silver," Lin Zheyu muttered while checking his belongings.

He originally had less than 5,000 taels left, but after this profitable encounter, his savings had risen to over 14,000. These traveling martial artists carried all their wealth with them, so robbing them was truly lucrative. No wonder so many risked their lives to turn bandit.

"This Savage Bear Yao Art is rather interesting. Many of its ingredients are actually poisonous substances recorded in the Toxicology Codex, and extremely rare. To temper the body and strengthen the physique using its methods was something no ordinary person could possibly endure," Lin Zheyu remarked as he skimmed through the manual.

This barbarian technique was straightforward and brutal. The barbarian race was born with powerful physiques and boundless vitality, and began such body-tempering methods as early as childhood. Such practices were impossible for humans to replicate. The great noble families also used medicinal baths from a young age to build their foundation, but their concoctions were mild and gentle by comparison.

Lai Mao must have hit a bottleneck in his cultivation, which is why he was so fixated on this barbarian technique. But following these methods, even if one could strengthen the body and increase power, it would leave severe aftereffects, Lin Zheyu thought as he closed the manual.

After all, they were two entirely different races. It wasn't just a matter of endurance. Many of the herbs and refining methods beneficial to barbarians were highly toxic to humans. That man's quick willingness to hand over the manual was likely far from kindness.

When I've gathered enough silver and the necessary herbs, I'll test the effects of this Savage Bear Yao Art myself.

He could use Origin Force to enhance himself, without worrying about the side effects that came from using the body-tempering methods described in the Savage Bear Yao Art. Moreover, unlike ordinary techniques, this one, which relied primarily on medicinal refinement, granted extremely fast improvement.