Chapter 616: Chapter 512: Crazy Circus
"Dao Zi 131?" Yang Xiao unconsciously stopped in his tracks and listened intently.
Hearing the broadcast, Lu Chenzhou also felt a surge of emotion. "It seems they were also attacked by ghosts, just like us, and they managed to escape as well. Prisoner No.199 wasn’t wrong, this Dao Zi 131 from the Withered Bone Pavilion really has some tricks up its sleeve."
"Not only did he not die, but he’s also willing to share his experiences voluntarily. Either he’s genuinely kind-hearted, or he has bigger motives we need to be wary of," Yang Xiao analyzed quietly.
"You’re right, Yang. If we happen to run into him later, it’s best we avoid any contact if possible. This person has a complex background, not suitable to be an enemy, nor should we get too close. We also need to be cautious around the woman with him. If the Withered Bone Pavilion chose her as a teammate, she’s definitely not ordinary," Lu Chenzhou, now regarding Yang Xiao as his leader, followed his decisive and skillful lead—qualities essential for survival.
Aside from these concerns, Yang Xiao was also on guard for another individual. "Lu, did you encounter anyone else before you met me?"
"No, the first person I saw was Prisoner No.199, and then I saw you shortly after," Lu Chenzhou did not hide anything.
Yang Xiao nodded; he was thinking about Dragon No.243, who, like him, came from Rongcheng.
Yang Xiao had an indescribable premonition, suspecting he might know this person.
"Hmm..."
Suddenly, Lu Chenzhou, walking beside Yang Xiao, stopped in his tracks, his body tensed, and his expression twisted as if he was enduring immense pain.
Yang Xiao’s first reaction was that they were under attack. He quickly pulled out the Human Bone Staff and looked around, but found no assailants.
"How are you doing?" Yang Xiao asked quickly.
Several seconds later, Lu Chenzhou slowly shook his head, his voice strained as he explained, "No... it’s nothing, not an attack, it’s... it’s my own problem."
"Magic Artifact backlash?" Yang Xiao asked.
Lu Chenzhou nodded painfully and then moved with difficulty towards the quieter side of the street. "Don’t... don’t touch me, it’s... it’s coming!"
Right after Lu Chenzhou finished speaking, he slowly crouched, lifted his arms to protect his head, and the next second, his upper body violently jerked to the right as if he had suddenly been punched. Then he stumbled uncontrollably for a few steps and ultimately couldn’t keep his balance. His left foot tripped over his right, causing him to fall to the ground in a very comical posture.
Since he had already avoided the busier paths, his fall didn’t affect many people, and the surrounding tourists ignored his plight.
After lying on the ground for a full thirty seconds, Lu Chenzhou finally made a move. He slowly propped himself up with his hands. Once Yang Xiao confirmed there was no danger, he went over to help him up. Lu Chenzhou looked a sorry sight, with a lump on the right side of his head and blood still flowing from both nostrils, his cheeks and arms also bore numerous abrasions. "No... it’s nothing now," Lu Chenzhou patted Yang Xiao’s hand, wiped his nosebleed, and gave a wry smile, "Hey, it’s a small matter, lighter than I thought."
Hearing this, Yang Xiao felt a slight pang of pity for him for a second, considering how adept Lu Chenzhou seemed at taking a beating. It was hard to imagine what he had endured previously.
"Have you... always been like this?" Yang Xiao asked curiously. "I mean your clay figurine; is this your ability?"
Lu Chenzhou gave an embarrassed laugh and whispered, "You caught me. This is my ability. I can use the Mud Man Curse to kill opponents in battle, but afterwards, I must pay an equivalent price. You can think of it as delayed damage, but the delay is unpredictable. It could be a few minutes, or a few hours. The longest I’ve waited for a slap was three whole days."
At this, Lu Chenzhou sighed and chuckled bitterly, "You don’t know what those three days were like for me. I couldn’t sleep, and I hardly ate anything. It wasn’t until I got that slap that I finally felt relieved. Then I ate well and slept deeply."
While listening, Yang Xiao found something amusing yet odd about Lu Chenzhou’s laughter, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. "So... does it always happen after you use your ability?"
"Pretty much. If the usage is light, the backlash tends to be mild as well," Lu Chenzhou shrugged nonchalantly. "I won’t hide it from you, Yang. Dealing with that ghost earlier, I used about 70-80% of my power, so the backlash was a bit severe."
"But what if someone attacks you while you’re suffering from backlash? What would you do?" Yang Xiao had seen drug addicts struggling with withdrawal on TV, which reminded him much of Lu Chenzhou’s earlier condition.
"It’s generally unlikely. I myself don’t even know the timing of the backlash; how could outsiders know? Moreover..." leaning closer, Lu Chenzhou spoke mysteriously. "I’ll tell you a secret, Yang. Actually, I can forcefully interrupt that state, but it comes at a great cost. The delayed damage can potentially double – that could be lethal."
Hearing this, Yang Xiao couldn’t help but marvel at the Angel Envoy’s Resentful Eye abilities, which were indeed bizarre and powerful, yet invariably, the stronger and more peculiar the Resentful Eye, the more terrible its side effects. Tong Han’s words were quite accurate: despite their apparent power, they were essentially prisoners of a nightmare.
"How many more times can you use that level of attack you used against the ghost?" Thinking about the upcoming battles, Yang Xiao needed to know the strength of his teammate.
Not daring to delay, Lu Chenzhou found a secluded spot, took out the clay figurine hidden in his bosom, and after a few seconds of quiet connection, he answered, "About two more times, three if it’s a matter of life and death, but..."
He paused, and the rest of Lu Chenzhou’s words remained unsaid. While three times were possible, the ensuing backlash would be terrifying. He would likely not survive it.
