Chapter 247: Lu Bu: I Have a Girlfriend...
At noon, sunlight filtered through the camp in the forest. The bright sun wasn't scorching or harsh. Despite being midday, the atmosphere was extraordinarily comfortable.
Inside a stone house, Lu Bu slowly opened his eyes. The energy surrounding his body converged back into itself, becoming seamless and whole. However, a sharp glint flashed through his eyes, hinting at improvement in his cultivation.
"Eight star Dou Huang... but my cultivation speed has slowed down," Lu Bu frowned, not feeling any joy from his breakthrough. Instead, he sensed that something was off.
Given his normal cultivation speed, he should have reached this level several days ago, perhaps even ten days prior. That he only broke through today was unusual.
Lu Bu had already noticed changes in his cultivation speed before, but he hadn't paid much attention. Today, after comparing his current pace to previous breakthroughs, he finally realized that something wasn't right.
Could the Soul Clan have left behind some restrictive method to suppress the Black Armored Army's strength? Lu Bu rubbed his chin thoughtfully, his eyes glimmering. But even after examining himself internally, he found no abnormalities.
"This isn't good…" His expression darkened. If this situation was allowed to continue, problems would inevitably arise. It had to be resolved!
Standing up, Lu Bu decided to capture a Soul Clan member and interrogate them thoroughly.
With a creak, the door opened. His gaze swept in the direction where Gu Zhen was located. He intended to discuss this matter with him.
However, before Lu Bu could take action, a gust of wind whistled from the sky. Looking up, he saw Xiao Xun'er, Gu Yao, and two Dou Zun elders flying back. Their expressions were grim, their faces tinged with barely contained anger.
"Looks like negotiations with the Medicine Clan failed," Lu Bu muttered, shaking his head helplessly.
It had been a month since the spatial wormhole was destroyed. Lu Bu had repeatedly suggested that they abandon the area and relocate the Black Armored Army to find a place where they could reconnect with the Gu Clan. This would prevent the Soul Clan from launching a devastating attack.
However, over the past month, the Soul Clan had done nothing. They neither attacked nor retreated; they merely surrounded the Black Armored Army for no apparent reason.
Unfortunately, Lu Bu's proposal had been unanimously rejected by Xiao Xun'er, Gu Yao, and the four elders, much to his frustration.
With a flash of silver beneath his feet, Lu Bu activated Three Thousand Lightning Movement and followed Xiao Xun'er and the others to the council hall.
"Miss, what did the Medicine Clan say?" Gu Zhen asked, his tone heavy as he sat in a subordinate position.
"Negotiations failed," Xiao Xun'er replied, a flash of anger flickering in her eyes. "The same response as before: constructing a spatial wormhole requires Medicine Wan Gui's approval, but Medicine Wan Gui is in seclusion."
After being repeatedly turned away, even Xiao Xun'er's calm temperament couldn't suppress the rising flames of anger in her heart. The Medicine Clan was truly going too far!
Gu Zhen's normally composed face darkened with rage. Though he prided himself on his self control, even he couldn't help but lose it this time.
"What do we do now?" Gu Yao took a deep breath to suppress his anger and asked in a low voice. They needed to find a way out of this predicament. Though the Soul Clan's intentions remained unclear, waiting passively would undoubtedly lead to disaster.
"I told you a month ago to leave immediately!" Lu Bu suddenly appeared at the entrance, his tone exasperated. "But no, you've dragged this out for a whole month. Now it's probably not so easy to leave."
"You… you just don't understand! Forget it, I can't be bothered to argue with you!" Xiao Xun'er's barely suppressed anger reignited upon hearing Lu Bu's words.
"Cough cough… Commander," Gu Zhen cleared his throat awkwardly and said seriously, "We are the Black Armored Army the pride of the Gu Clan's younger generation. How could we retreat at the first sign of difficulty?"
"Oh, now I get it!" Lu Bu suddenly clapped his hands, realizing his mistake.
He had been thinking like a lone wolf: fight if you can, run if you can't. There was no shame in fleeing; at worst, he'd use Xiao Yan's name, and any shame would fall on Xiao Yan, not him.
But the Black Armored Army was different. They represented the Gu Clan's reputation. Such circumstances severely restricted their flexibility in employing certain tactics.
If they fled at the first sign of trouble, the other ancient clans, like the Lei Clan or Yan Clan, would mock them relentlessly.
Especially the Medicine Clan an already irritating faction. If the story spread, they would undoubtedly take the opportunity to amplify their disdain.
"So, what's your plan?" Lu Bu asked, shrugging indifferently. He didn't particularly care he was eating well, drinking well, and steadily improving his cultivation here.
As this thought crossed his mind, Lu Bu's eyes suddenly gleamed. Xiao Xun'er's interruption earlier had nearly made him forget his original purpose!
"Let me think…" Xiao Xun'er hesitated, a trace of anxiety flashing in her eyes. The question was simple: stay or leave. But the decision wasn't easy it concerned the honor of the Gu Clan and couldn't be taken lightly.
"I need to ask you something," Lu Bu began, preparing to raise his concern about cultivation.
But before he could finish, Lin Xiu and Yang Hao hurriedly rushed in, their expressions grave. "Miss, elders, Commander, something's happened!"
"Oh? Speak," Lu Bu raised an eyebrow and asked, his tone serious.
"What's the matter?" Gu Yao's eyes narrowed as he spoke. Could it be that the Soul Clan was attacking?
"Our soldiers' Dou Qi is mysteriously dissipating. Not just one it's happening to several soldiers, and their cultivation levels are regressing," Lin Xiu reported grimly.
"What did you say?!" The four elders were visibly shaken. Cultivation regression was no trivial matter!
Though the average Black Armored Army soldier's bloodline wasn't as pure or powerful as the eight commanders or four generals, they were still some of the Gu Clan's most talented youths. Any issues with their cultivation couldn't be ignored.
"Dissipating Dou Qi and regressing cultivation?" Lu Bu's brow furrowed as he asked, "Did you notice anything unusual beforehand?"
"No!" Yang Hao answered solemnly. "We've investigated thoroughly but found nothing out of the ordinary."
Lin Xiu nodded in agreement. Despite his higher cultivation level, his investigation had also yielded nothing.
"All of you… no, haven't any of you noticed that your cultivation speed has slowed over the past month?" Lu Bu's gaze shifted toward Xiao Xun'er, Gu Yao, and Gu Zhen.
"Yes!" Gu Yao's expression darkened. "I initially thought it was just a normal phenomenon after advancing to Dou Zun…"
"I've noticed it too!" Gu Zhen added in a heavy tone. He had assumed his slower progress was due to spending less time cultivating while managing the army.
Xiao Xun'er clenched her fists tightly. From the looks of it, everyone in the Black Armored Army even Lu Bu had been affected!
"I think I understand…" Lu Bu rubbed his chin, his eyes glinting. "We've all been poisoned."
"Poisoned?!"
"What did you say?!"
"What's going on?!"
The Gu Clan members turned pale, bombarding him with urgent questions.
"My cultivation speed has slowed too," Lu Bu explained. "At first, I didn't think much of it. But now I realize the truth it's not that our cultivation speed has slowed, but that our Dou Qi is gradually dissipating."
"For those of us with relatively fast cultivation speeds, this manifests as slower progress. But for the soldiers, who don't advance as quickly, it's more apparent their Dou Qi is being drained!"
At these words, everyone's faces changed dramatically. "It's Soul Huai! That guy's self detonation into smoke at the time was it to poison us?"
"Dispersing Qi Mist? Could it be the Dispersing Qi Mist?" Gu Zhen suddenly stood up from his chair, a flicker of panic in his eyes. The Black Armored Army followed a strict merit based system: the capable rise, the weak fall.
This system was meant to motivate soldiers to train harder, grow stronger, and challenge those in higher positions.
But under these circumstances, it meant many might hide their declining cultivation levels and dissipating Dou Qi!
In other words… the Black Armored Army had already suffered significant damage!
The others in the hall were sharp minded individuals. Seeing Gu Zhen's drastic reaction, they immediately realized the implications of his fears.
"Damn Soul Clan! Always resorting to these despicable tactics!" Gu Yao's face turned extremely grim. He, too, understood the gravity of the situation.
The Black Armored Army prided itself on its powerful combined battle formations. Every soldier could contribute to these formations, working together as seamlessly as an arm and its fingers.
But with so many soldiers losing their cultivation and Dou Qi, these once mighty warriors would now become burdens. They could turn into tools for the Soul Clan to hinder the Black Armored Army's leaders. When the time came… even retreating might become impossible!
"No wonder the Soul Clan hasn't made any moves for a month…" Beneath her veil, Xiao Xun'er bit her lip, her heart sinking. Isolated, unsupported, and with weakened soldiers unable to fight… this was a death trap!
Swish!
The four elders, Gu Yao, Gu Zhen, Lin Xiu, and Yang Hao, all turned their gazes toward Xiao Xun'er in unison. As the Supreme Commander, she needed to give the order if they didn't retreat now, it would soon be too late!
"Send the order to prepare for retreat…"
"Retreat, my ass!" Lu Bu's eyes flared as he interrupted Xiao Xun'er's command. "If you only now decided to retreat, don't you think the Soul Clan has already anticipated this? Retreating now is walking straight into death!"
"You !" Xiao Xun'er's fury erupted. "If we don't retreat, are we supposed to sit here and wait to die?"
"What were you doing earlier?" Lu Bu rolled his eyes, completely disregarding her authority.
If they had listened to him earlier, none of this would have happened!
"Cough cough… Commander, now isn't the time for arguments," Elder Lin quickly interjected. "I understand you're upset, but our priority should be leaving this place immediately."
Lu Bu rolled his eyes again. Upset? Why would I be upset?
Swish!
Lu Bu flipped his palm, revealing a small jade bottle containing white pills that emitted a faint mist.
But instead of the strong medicinal fragrance one might expect, the bottle released a faintly foul odor that was far from pleasant.
"What is this?" Elder Lin's pupils contracted sharply in surprise. He knew Lu Bu was a pharmacist.
"The antidote for the Dispersing Qi Mist," Lu Bu said casually, tossing the bottle up and catching it with a flick of his wrist.
"What? How do you… how do you have that?" Xiao Xun'er's voice trembled with shock. Beneath her veil, her delicate face was likely frozen in utter disbelief.
The group's mood shifted from despair to elation, but confusion lingered. Those who knew Lu Bu's identity as a pharmacist were curious why would a pharmacist have something like this, typically associated with a poison master?
Those who only saw Lu Bu as a Void Ancient Dragon were equally puzzled what was he doing researching toxic substances?
"I have a confidante with the Woeful Poison Body," Lu Bu said, his eyes flickering mischievously. "She worried I'd get ambushed, so…"
"Woeful Poison Body?"
The Gu Clan members were stunned. A Woeful Poison Body was no small matter. This innate poisonous constitution allowed its bearer to refine any toxin into power, granting cultivation speeds theoretically on par with Dou Emperor bloodlines. It also allowed them to produce any poison they desired.
Were it not for the numerous side effects of such a body, countless people would have gone mad trying to obtain it. Even so, many remained obsessed with it such as the Ice River Valley in Central Plains.
"You really have five girlfriends?"
Yang Hao's eyes widened in disbelief. His focus was a bit… unique. Back in the Northwest Continent, during that infamous beating uh, sparring session he and Ling Quan had heard Lu Bu claim he had five girlfriends.
At the time, Yang Hao thought it was just an excuse. He never imagined it was actually true.
Yang Hao scratched his head, utterly bewildered. Was there really someone who wasn't interested in Xiao Xun'er?
Perhaps Void Ancient Dragons had different tastes?
Hearing Yang Hao's outburst, everyone turned their attention to Lu Bu in unison. Five?
One of them was a Woeful Poison Body. What about the other four?
"What are you staring at?" Lu Bu glared at them. "Hurry up and distribute the antidote!"
He shoved the pill bottle into Gu Zhen's hands and swallowed one himself. Dispersing Qi Mist was troublesome, yet simple. It could only be neutralized by consuming the antidote; no other methods worked. Of course, this didn't apply to Dou Saints, who were immune to such things.
Fortunately, as a pharmacist, Lu Bu not only had the antidote formula but also found it easy to refine.
"Oh, right…" Gu Zhen snapped out of his daze, coughed awkwardly, and took the pills outside. His priority was to find the soldiers with the most severe cases of regression and stabilize their conditions.
It was best not to dig too deeply into certain matters. After all, Lu Bu dared to beat both Xiao Xun'er and Gu Yao within an inch of their lives what wouldn't he dare to do?
Xiao Xun'er cast a cold glance at Lu Bu but chose to ignore him. She'd known he was trouble ever since her time at the Jia Nan Academy. How else could he have so many senior sisters infatuated with him?
Xiao Yan ge ge is better… not like this shameless flirt!
"Hahaha… Friends from the Gu Clan, so you're really here! I heard you've run into trouble. Do you need my help? Hahaha!"
Before Gu Zhen could reach the door, a booming laugh echoed from the sky like rolling thunder.
The group in the council hall frowned in unison. Judging by the voice, the newcomer clearly didn't have good intentions.
Gu Yao snorted coldly. His aura surged, distorting the surrounding space as he stepped through a spatial rift. "Lei Yun, what are you doing here?"
Lu Bu appeared alongside Xiao Xun'er and the elders. Upon hearing Gu Yao's words, his brows arched slightly. Lei Yun?
Could this be someone from the Lei Clan?
Tsk… Things just keep getting messier. Now the Lei Clan's involved too.
(End of Chapter)
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