Chapter 14: The Path of Utmost Sincerity Leads to Foresight

"Someone’s there!"

Of the three, Ma Buting was perhaps the weakest in strength, yet because he had awakened his ear aperture, his hearing was the sharpest. Though he followed behind Wan Gu Xiao, he was the first to catch the faint sound, and quickly alerted Ma Buti.

"Lu Sheng!"

The same name flashed through their minds. Without hesitation, both of them unleashed their full speed, determined to catch up with Wan Gu Xiao.

"Not good!"

Sensing the change in pace from the two behind him, Wan Gu Xiao cursed inwardly. He reached into his robe and drew out a small golden snake, silently commanding it, "Go inside and keep close to the one below!"

With that, he stamped his foot forcefully, the dull thumping echoing as dust billowed. Masked by the swirling dust, the golden snake slipped quietly into the ground.

At the same time, his powerful step caused the earth beneath him to collapse, revealing a hole. Without the slightest hesitation, Wan Gu Xiao leapt in—

Whether to track Lu Sheng or to shake off the Ma brothers, he had to return to the Serpent Den!

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"Thud! Thud!"

Deep underground, Lu Sheng had just approached an exit when the muffled stomping above startled him.

"Someone’s coming!"

He was about to retreat when another rumbling crashed down from above, filling him with even greater suspicion.

"What’s happening up there?"

He didn’t know what was going on, but it didn’t slow his actions. Resuming an old trick, he channeled his strength—seven or eight thousand pounds—and smashed a segment of the tunnel ahead, causing it to cave in.

Then he quickly withdrew, slipping into another branching passage behind him.

He had specifically chosen this area as an escape route. The soil here was loose and prone to collapse, with numerous side tunnels—perfect for hiding.

What Lu Sheng didn't realize was that a golden snake had slipped through the newly collapsed passage, following the scent left on his body and clothing, silently closing in!

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"The man underground collapsed the tunnel!"

Behind, the Ma brothers, in hot pursuit, heard the sudden stomping of Wan Gu Xiao and sensed something was amiss. No longer caring about their own noise, they sped up.

Soon after, they saw Wan Gu Xiao collapse a patch of ground and dive into an opening. Just as they were about to follow, a fresh rumble echoed from below, revealing the true location of their target!

"Almost fell for Wan Gu Xiao’s trick!"

Thinking this, the brothers didn’t pause, hurrying straight toward the spot where Lu Sheng had collapsed the tunnel.

Meanwhile, inside the Serpent Den, Wan Gu Xiao also heard the sound of Lu Sheng bringing down a passage. Not sensing the Ma brothers following, he silently cursed Lu Sheng’s “cleverness backfiring,” and, guided by the golden snake, hurried after him as well.

If he didn’t catch up now, Lu Sheng would soon fall into the hands of the Ma brothers!

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"Something’s wrong!"

Lu Sheng had twisted and turned through several branch tunnels, yet no sense of safety grew within him. Instead, a mounting feeling of danger pressed in on his heart.

This sense had only emerged after he had consolidated his spirit and opened his spiritual sea. According to the Hun Yuan Manual, this was a form of danger foresight—a capacity for premonition that came with clarifying the heart and illuminating the spirit, akin to the “utmost sincerity brings foreknowledge” described in the Doctrine of the Mean.

Though he had not truly attained perfect clarity of mind, by mastering his spirit and merging it fully with his vital energy, Lu Sheng had brushed the very edge of this realm.

And so, he sensed the looming crisis.

"Just now, I seemed to hear three sets of footsteps above."

"One deliberately stamped the ground to warn me, and only then did the other two quicken their pace, making enough noise for me to hear as well."

In the grip of danger, Lu Sheng reviewed the sounds he’d heard, speculating:

"Judging by the force of their steps while running, all three are faster than I am now—"

"They must have the cultivation of Grand Martial Masters!"

"If so, one is likely Wan Gu Xiao."

"The other two are at odds with him, even plotting against him."

"If no one else with a grudge against Wan Gu Xiao has come to Blackstone Isle, then among those on the surrounding islands who are Grand Martial Masters and bear enmity toward him—"

"It can only be the two lords of Dragon Mulberry Isle!"

"Thus, these three must be Wan Gu Xiao, Ma Buting, and Ma Buti!"

Though he hadn’t seen them, with his enhanced spirit, Lu Sheng had quickly deduced their identities and the purpose behind their actions:

"Wan Gu Xiao must have sensed me at the Serpent Den’s exit using some hidden method. But alone, he can’t handle the Ma brothers—"

"So, by stamping his feet, he warned me ahead of time, then collapsed the ground to lure them after him!"

"Unfortunately, my own collapsing of the tunnel ruined his scheme!"

"The Ma brothers, following the sound, are back on my trail."

Because the two families were distantly related by marriage, Lu Sheng had once heard Lu Hai describe the Ma brothers in detail. He knew them fairly well.

"Those two call themselves ‘Unstoppable Ma.’ If there’s profit to be made, they won’t rest for a moment!"

"Both are Grand Martial Masters, complementing each other perfectly, and have mastered a joint attack technique."

"Though neither has opened all nine apertures, together they have every one opened between them, each cultivating different mystical arts."

"Night vision, telescopic sight, heightened hearing, sense of smell, taste—all these abilities are found between the two!"

"Trying to escape their pursuit will be extremely difficult!"

Now a Martial Master himself, with both his oral and posterior apertures opened, Lu Sheng knew well how greatly an open aperture’s power was amplified by vital energy and spirit.

Without some special method, it was nearly impossible to evade someone with awakened spiritual apertures.

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"I can now fully conceal my essence, energy, and spirit. Any disturbance, I’ll sense at once, and I can recover using merit."

"But the scent on my body—even if merit can clear it away, the tunnels quickly taint me with new smells."

"So, I must find another solution!"

He took out a snakeskin pouch, sniffed the potion inside, and thought, "Let this work!"

Shedding the python-hide clothing he’d worn for bone-shrinking, Lu Sheng smeared the potion over every inch of his body, scrubbing away any trace he’d left. Then, using his karmic power, he roused a few serpents and pythons, continuing onward.

This was his plan.

For days, he’d pondered how to erase the scent from his body and clothes. The clothing problem was solved after he discovered a giant python and fashioned garments from its skin. The scent on his body, however, was another matter.

Fortunately, among the three inheritance stones, there were many methods for countering the myriad strange abilities of the martial world. One formula, a potion blended with Hun Yuan energy, could cloak one’s personal scent in a primordial, indistinguishable haze, preventing any trace from escaping—making it nearly impossible for others to detect.

Lu Sheng, living in the Serpent Den and lacking prepared ingredients, couldn’t make the exact potion. But with his keen sense of taste, while sampling serpent gall, he discovered several kinds of bile that could substitute for the original recipe’s herbs.

Using these as the base, and supplementing with serpent blood and bone, after many attempts, he managed to concoct a mixture that was at least partially effective.

Though Lu Sheng could smell the potion’s scent, having not opened his nose aperture, he couldn’t be sure whether someone who had would be able to see through his disguise.

All he could do was get as far away as possible, as quickly as possible!

Thus, after making these preparations, Lu Sheng used his karmic power to awaken some dormant snakes and pythons he’d found earlier, sending them scattering and causing chaos. Under cover of the confusion, he erased his tracks and swiftly left the area.