Chapter 396: Chapter 326: Foundation Establishment Pill Enhancement
At the stroke of midnight, the Northern Messengers gathered at Skeleton Square.
When it came to the Skeleton Document, everyone widened their eyes and gasped in shock.
The first row remained unchanged, but the rewards for the Bandage Man in the second row changed from "Ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill" to "Rare Foundation Establishment Pill - Corpse Ghost Enhancement"!
"Rare Foundation Establishment Pill - Corpse Ghost Enhancement: After establishing the foundation, it possesses the mysterious ability of [Revive Without Stiffening], allowing the body to remain intact and undying within 600 seconds after sustaining lethal damage."
"This seems better than the enhanced foundation establishment pill above! An absolute chance of survival!"
"Their Foundation Establishment Pills keep improving in effects?"
"How good do the foundation pills have to be to reach the peak?"
"Stop upgrading them, won’t you? How can they keep improving? It’s too unfair!"
Previously, they had never seen Ye Si and Yan Qing, and their obtaining of the Foundation Establishment Pills sparkled little greed. After all, in everyone’s perception, the Foundation Establishment Pills are treasures you could only snatch after narrowly escaping death. Perhaps the two individuals mentioned in the Skeleton Document encountered hardships in the Demon Gathering Land that they are unaware of. As the saying goes, money is hard to earn, but feces are hard to eat. With such a reward as a Foundation Establishment Pill, one should be eating large mouthfuls of feces, right?
But today Yan Qing appeared, riding a fire-breathing demon that saved the Prince of Lanling, and Murong Hui was indeed with him. Being able to command demons and have the company of a beautiful woman, if it weren’t for rescuing the Prince of Lanling, he could have stealthily acquired the Foundation Establishment Pill without revealing himself.
Even if obtaining Foundation Establishment Pills required eating feces, he would be a dog with a good appetite!
How can one endure this? Anyone wouldn’t stand for it!
If previously the Northern Messengers harbored a greedy heart, now they have a new motivator fueled by anger: how could there be someone in this world who comfortably gets their hands on the Foundation Establishment Pills they will never get a chance to touch? Even if they had to pay for it with their misfortune, they would shatter his happiness!
While the Northern Messengers were raring to go, Commander Baibao, Ying Su, suddenly called Wei Weixi and Ru Luo Jing over and briskly issued orders: "Do not engage aggressively when encountering the Bandage Man, and inform him that we can choose not to interfere with his actions."
Ru Luo Jing was taken aback: "Is the Commander trying to recruit the Bandage Man?"
Ying Su neither confirmed nor denied: "First, capture the Prince of Lanling, let nothing derail the plan."
As a member of [United Hearts], Ying Su had received shared intelligence from Ying Le before entering the Demon Gathering Land, suspecting that Ying Rushi came specifically to meet with Yellow Dog of the Thief’s House, as Yellow Dog had previously disguised as a bandage figure in the grand case at An Guo Temple — this intelligence was actually informed to Ying Le by Ying Rushi.
The scene where the Bandage Man rode the Blue Flame Dragon Motorcycle to rescue Ying Rushi further confirmed this speculation, as the only individuals daring enough to confront the Baibao Guards for Ying Rushi would either be Murong Hui, possessing the Foundation Establishment Bloodline, or her lawless and thieving colleagues.
Therefore, Ying Su had no intention of recruiting the Bandage Man, and Ying Le’s orders contained no option of collaborating with Yellow Dog, even if the latter knew the method to acquire Foundation Establishment Pills. Ying Le always bore grudges, and over the past decade, she grew increasingly severe, leaving no one daring to defy her will. Yellow Dog’s slap was not just a blow to her face but practically tore her backside apart. She was still unable to retaliate, so why would Ying Le want to cooperate? How would Yellow Dog dare to cooperate?
However, Ying Su bore no grudge against Yellow Dog despite being her younger brother, and he too agreed Ying Le should have been slapped long ago. Of course, if there were an opportunity, the offending hand that struck his sister would still need to be severed.
But compared to the upgrade in Foundation Establishment Pill rewards, Ying Su was more concerned about another detail: the Bandage Man’s ability to command demons increased from a single demon the previous day to two demons today. Although the four Soul Dragon Attendants derived from that demon didn’t pose much threat to them due to their presence of two hundred people at the scene.
To expand the search range, Ying Su divided the Baibao Guards into ten squads, each with twenty men, capable of handling three Third-Turn Messengers even if ambushed, at least sustaining until reinforcements arrived. But if Yellow Dog’s ability to command demons continued to grow and each demon wielded the combat power of a Soul Dragon Attendant, a twenty-man squad could be quickly subdued.
Increasing the number of troops in each squad would lower the search efficiency, and since the Demon Gathering Land was so vast, Ying Rushi could realistically evade them over five days. Even more critically, the Skeleton Document did not list Ying Rushi and Murong Hui’s names, proving one fact: Yellow Dog’s relationship with them wasn’t close enough to share this secret!
"How many days has Murong Hui been inside?"
"Four days, she can leave tomorrow." Ru Luo Jing asked cautiously, "Should we seal the four entrances to trap her?"
"No, let her leave." Ying Su shook his head: "Murong Hui was never the target, obstructing her would only strengthen their alliance, and besides..." He glanced at the distant tower, "Even if we don’t act, some won’t be able to resist, it’s not worth involving ourselves."
Ru Luo Jing and Wei Weixi felt chills run down their spine, recalling the recent battle where Murong Hui almost got skewered by an arrow.
Murong Hui was a Foundation Establishment Bloodline, an esteemed figure whom even the Baibao Guards dared not lay a finger on, yet nearly got instantly killed by an anonymous assassin. Should the Purple Tribulation Zhenren’s wrath unleash a killing spree, who at the scene would fare well? Purple Tribulation Zhenren might consider Ying Le, but could he possibly consider them, mere mortals? Not actively dying on Murong Hui’s behalf was already a sin.
For nearly a century, the political landscape in the Central Plains remained stable with rare appearances of Foundation Establishment Messengers. Ordinary people didn’t have much understanding of True Men. But those from families with inherited books knew that a century ago, amidst the warlords’ chaotic battles in the Central Plains, Foundation Establishment Messengers effortlessly laid waste to cities and towns, wiping out names from maps with a flick. Forces without the protection of a Foundation Establishment Zhenren would always be nothing but a dish on the table.
Realizing this, they decided to order everyone to courteously see Murong Hui leave. Every additional second Murong Hui stayed was another second of danger for them.
"The Bandage Man holds the secrets of the Demon Gathering Land, now trapped inside, possibly our only chance to acquire this secret." Ru Luo Jing tested the waters, "Are we truly leaving him be?"
The Foundation Establishment Pill wasn’t of much personal significance to Ying Le, aside from raising subordinates, it wouldn’t impact her personal cultivation much. However, Ying Rushi was pivotal to her path; hence the highest order from [United Hearts] was the capture of Ying Rushi, sacrificing everything else if necessary.
But Ying Le’s interests didn’t equate to one’s own interests.
Anyone would surely list both Ying Rushi and the Bandage Man on the pursuing list, as pursuing Ying Rushi was merely professional duty, while pursuing the Bandage Man served personal ambitions. Even the most loyal individuals would yearn for progress.
Only Ying Su was an exception, for the only thing transcending self-interest in this world was love poured to the fullest. This was why Ying Le entrusted the command of Baibao Guards to him.
Nonetheless, Ying Su also knew the reason the Northern Messengers chose to stay was driven by their fantasy for Foundation Establishment Pills. Since their assistance was required for searching the Demon Gathering Land, Ying Su wouldn’t let them down.
"If he arrived in the Demon Gathering Land a few days earlier, whether to catch him or not would be meaningless as he could leave through any entrance; if he arrived not long ago, then even after capturing the Prince of Lanling, we still have time to deal with him. As military strategy dictates, take one step at a time, covertly achieving the goal," Ying Su said: "Understood?"
Ru Luo Jing and the others were outwardly very convinced, respectfully replying: "Yes!"
...
...
"Their primary target will definitely be me." Ying Rushi said: "At least, the Baibao Guards are entirely here for me. As long as we move separately, they will not waste their strength on you."
Yan Qing smiled: "But how do they know you and I have split? If I encounter them on the road, will they chat amiably about recent events, see I’m alone without a beauty, and let me pass? Maybe they’d even feel pity for me, considering I just saved you and got kicked aside, they’ll probably think I’m yet another unlucky fool played by the Ying Family Royalty."
"That’s not what I meant!" Ying Rushi lightly bit her lower lip, sounding as if she was heartlessly abandoning him, "I will appear frequently in the same area by then, the Baibao Guards will naturally congregate there, allowing you to explore other regions free from their threat."
"What about you?"
"I have my own way, I’ve already dodged the Baibao Guards for days before, they cannot pin me down."
"What if there’s an ’if’?"
"If there’s an ’if,’ then separating becomes more critical. Two people encountering trouble or one person encountering trouble, it’s a simple arithmetic problem."
"Some troubles are no trouble when faced together... Forget it, I’m a bit tired, and don’t want to argue logic with you." Yan Qing stifled a smile, looking expressionlessly at Ying Rushi: "Are you here to inform me, or to discuss with me?"
