Chapter 426: The Urgency of the Sick Cultivator

The villa had just been painted, its walls pristine white, which strikingly contrasted with Green Beggar's smile, tinged with green pus, giving it a uniquely eerie brilliance.

Green Beggar's smile was indeed radiant. At such close range, Chu Shaoqiang had little chance of survival in a direct confrontation with him.

The methods of Illness Cultivators were incredibly difficult to counter. One either needed to overwhelm them with superior cultivation or possess a special Daoist technique to restrain them. Otherwise, even cultivators of equal strength had little chance of victory in a direct encounter. This had become a consensus among high-level cultivators in Puro Province.

Chu Shaoqiang slowly descended the stairs, looking at Green Beggar. "I really want to discuss what happened back then," he said. "Why did you assume I wanted to seize Greenwater Bay?"

Green Beggar blinked, seemingly recalling past events. "Among the four great families and their four patriarchs," he said, "everyone back then thought Lu Dongliang had the highest cultivation. But in reality, it was you. Your cultivation had long surpassed the ninth layer, and you used certain artificer techniques to conceal much of it. Even the local deities of Cloud-Top First Layer were no match for you. I knew all of this."

Chu Shaoqiang frowned. "Does being the strongest make me guilty?" he asked. "I never said I wanted to seize Greenwater Bay. Why did you try to kill me?"

Green Beggar laughed. "By the time you clearly stated your intentions, would I still be alive to hear them? I would have long been sent to the Yellow Springs by you. Have you forgotten how Greenwater Bay came to be? Wasn't it also seized by me?"

Chu Shaoqiang shook his head. "There's a misunderstanding here. I really didn't at the time..."

Green Beggar squeezed a pus-filled sore, and the splattering dark-green pus interrupted Chu Shaoqiang. "Stop stalling," he said. "For an artificer with a hundred blades, every moment you delay gives you an advantage."

Chu Shaoqiang stopped, seemingly avoiding Green Beggar's pus. "The longer an Illness Cultivator plans, the greater their chances of winning," he said. "Let's just catch up properly; you won't lose anything."

Green Beggar shook his head. "My Daoist technique emphasizes quick action and surprise; it doesn't need much planning."

"The surprise element is real, but is your Daoist technique truly fast?" Chu Shaoqiang shook his head. "Green Beggar, your Daoist technique is very deceptive. Illness Cultivation is powerful, but not because of its speed. The true power of Illness Cultivation lies in its 'smallness'. The disease sources are too small—so small they are invisible, untraceable, and silent. Nobody knows when they arrive, how they arrive, or how to stop them. That's why many people have a misconception, believing that disease strikes like a collapsing mountain. Everyone thinks diseases manifest quickly, but in fact, the disease sources don't come fast. Instead, they are very small, catching people off guard. Just like now, the pus you're squeezing out, your body full of sores—these are all visible, no need to worry about them. What I should be concerned about are those tiny, invisible ones. Those are the true disease sources that cannot be avoided."

As his words fell, tiny snowflakes suddenly appeared in the villa's hall.

These snowflakes encased invisible bacteria—or, more precisely, bacterial corpses.

These bacteria were killed by the "snowflakes." Enveloped by the snow, they continuously fell from the air, and the pungent alkaline smell made Green Beggar's cheeks tremble slightly.

"What kind of magical artifact is this?" Green Beggar's eyes darted around, seemingly searching for the source of the spell.

"It's no magical artifact; it's just lime," Chu Shaoqiang said, plucking a "snowflake" from the air and crumbling it into dust.

Hearing it was lime, Green Beggar looked at the surrounding walls.

The originally smooth white walls had become mottled, and large amounts of lime were rapidly flaking off.

Chu Shaoqiang said, "Disease sources are tiny, so tiny they are omnipresent. When I fought you back then, I built three layers of barriers, yet I still couldn't defend against you. Many years have passed, and I've never forgotten that battle. For all these years, I've been thinking about how I could defeat you. Eventually, I realized something: to defeat you, I couldn't focus on being faster than you, nor on being completely impenetrable. No matter how tight my defenses, there would always be a moment when they'd fail. To defeat you, I had to become as small as you. So, I stopped focusing on weapons and instead focused on dust."

The "snowflakes" in the hall suddenly became denser, and Green Beggar increased the release of bacteria.

The lime in the air quickly reacted. The dust became even finer, and its concentration increased.

These lime dust particles didn't need to wait for Chu Shaoqiang's command; they could directly combat Green Beggar's bacteria. This exceptionally refined artificer technique made Green Beggar somewhat nervous.

What made Green Beggar most nervous was that Chu Shaoqiang had grasped the core weakness of Illness Cultivation.

"Smallness" was the most critical element of Illness Cultivation.

"Do you think this lime will be so effective?" Green Beggar asked, grabbing a piece of lime "snow" and rubbing it in his hand.

Chu Shaoqiang was momentarily stunned. "Do you think lime is larger than the disease sources you create?" he asked.

"Anything visible isn't small," Green Beggar replied.

"That's why there's some lime you haven't seen at all," Chu Shaoqiang said with a smile. "Take a closer sniff; isn't that alkaline smell burning through your lungs?"

The lime snow fell more and more heavily, and Green Beggar was forced to envelop his body in pus.

This house contained an inexhaustible supply of lime. Every particle of lime dust was Chu Shaoqiang's spiritual artifact, a spiritual artifact almost as small as bacteria.

Now, every speck of dust was fighting the bacteria. Due to the alkalinity of the lime, the bacteria had virtually no power to retaliate against it.

He had fallen into a trap.

Green Beggar should not have entered this house.

Now, leaving didn't seem so easy for him. The pus on his body was solidifying and hardening.

Chu Shaoqiang's figure had already vanished in the lime snow, but his voice remained: "Everything that needed to be said has been said. It's time for us to settle this. Green Beggar, I remember you have one more move. You can enter the Nameless Land. This is your last chance. I'm very interested in the Nameless Land. Use this move in front of me; you can escape, and I can study it properly. It would be a win-win."

Green Beggar didn't move. Covered in lime, he had turned into a snowman.

He was unwilling to open the Nameless Land; it was too precious.

As things stood, even if he activated the Nameless Land, he might not be able to escape. The Nameless Land itself could very well be taken by Chu Shaoqiang, along with his contract scroll.

Chu Shaoqiang stood amidst the lime, silently watching Green Beggar. "I didn't expect you to be so stubborn," he said. "Then I'll just have to send you on your way."

A fierce wind suddenly rose, swirling the dust and pressing it tightly against Green Beggar's body.

The pus on his body completely solidified and hardened. The skin beneath the pus hardened and cracked.

Beneath the skin were flesh and bone, and beneath those, internal organs. In a short time, Green Beggar was filled with lime from head to toe, becoming dry and hard.

Chu Shaoqiang lit a cigarette, and casually tossed the lighter onto Green Beggar's body.

The lighter shattered Green Beggar's body.

Like a broken plaster statue, brittle, hard fragments scattered across the floor.

Was this Green Beggar's corpse?

Yes, this was the body of Green Beggar himself.

Chu Shaoqiang had prepared too thoroughly. From the moment he entered the house, Green Beggar had lost any chance of escape; his body was completely calcified by the lime.

Was Green Beggar dead?

Chu Shaoqiang felt a touch of doubt.

Outside the courtyard, several proxies still stood in their respective positions.

The head of one proxy suddenly exploded, and emerald-green pus sloshed back and forth within its body cavity.

Chu Shaoqiang grabbed a handful of lime and threw it out the window, landing precisely on the proxy.

At the same time, the pus within the proxy's body cavity quickly gathered, transforming into a small, foot-tall green figure that instantly vanished from Chu Shaoqiang's sight.

Had Green Beggar resurrected?

Why had he suddenly disappeared?

He had gone to the Nameless Land, also known as the Dark-Dimensional Space in the outer provinces. For Chu Shaoqiang, understanding the truth of the Dark-Dimensional Space was far more valuable than simply killing Green Beggar.

Remembering the Dark-Dimensional Space, Chu Shaoqiang felt a pang of frustration.

"The pair of Judge's Brushes I obtained could originally enter the Dark-Dimensional Space to a certain extent. But that fool Huai Jun gave them away!"

"I shouldn't have entrusted the family business to him. Entrusting it to Huai Yuan would have been far better."

Green Beggar had left too quickly, and Chu Shaoqiang hadn't clearly seen some details of the Dark-Dimensional Space.

But that didn't matter. Green Beggar still had lime on him, so Chu Shaoqiang could track him.

Green Beggar was very weak. He couldn't stay in the Nameless Land for too long; he needed to return to the normal realm to replenish his strength.

As soon as he emerged from the Nameless Land, he would be doomed.

At Boundless Hospital, Cuitic sat in his office, his fingers gently tapping the desk.

He was very nervous; a powerful enemy was approaching.

But at this moment, he had no choice; he had to face this enemy.

Cuitic put on a mask and opened his office door. He saw a man in a gray-white overcoat and a gray-white top hat standing at his office doorway.

"Sir, are you looking for me?" Cuitic asked politely.

Chu Shaoqiang, standing at the doorway, was somewhat surprised. Logically, this foreigner shouldn't have been able to see him.

Had Green Beggar alerted this foreigner?

No, he could indeed see him. This was evident from his tone and gaze.

Chu Shaoqiang looked behind Cuitic. "I'm not looking for you," he said, "but the person I'm looking for is here."

Cuitic turned around and looked. "Are you looking for a patient?" he asked. "This is my office. To find a patient, you should go to the patient rooms."

A "snowflake" fell from the air into Chu Shaoqiang's palm. He confirmed that Green Beggar was in this room.

Chu Shaoqiang said with a smile, "I don't want to kill you; not yet, at least. Move aside, and this whole matter won't concern you."

Cuitic shook his head. "I apologize," he said, "but this office, indeed the entire hospital, is my private territory. I cannot clear this path."

Chu Shaoqiang's smile remained unchanged. "Then I can't let you live," he said. "You're truly unyielding."

Tiny snowflakes slowly drifted down. Although this wasn't Chu Shaoqiang's house, Cuitic wasn't Green Beggar. The lime Chu Shaoqiang carried was enough to kill him.

A layer of green blisters rose on Cuitic's body. Many of them quickly burst, and plasma splattered amid the snowflakes.

There was a trace of Green Beggar's aura in this plasma. Could this foreigner actually use Green Beggar's power?

Chu Shaoqiang heightened his vigilance, but his expression remained calm. "So you're an Illness Cultivator," he said. "Are you trying to fight me to the death? I truly didn't expect your Daoist sect to have such a loyal cultivator as you."

"I am indeed a loyal person," Cuitic said. "I am willing to give my life for my Daoist sect."

Chu Shaoqiang nodded. "I can grant you that," he said.

Cuitic remained standing at the doorway. "Don't be so rash," he said. "I believe you are also a loyal person. You were sent by Neizhou. If your master doesn't want to offend a friendly nation, I suggest you don't lay a hand on me."

The word "master" was grating. Chu Shaoqiang's cheek twitched, and his smile gradually faded. "Foreign devil," he said, "what do you think you are?"

Cuitic calmly replied, "I am nothing, but this is my hospital, and this is my territory. There are many spiritual artifacts and magical treasures here, not for combat, but for communication. If you force your way into my territory, I will fight you to the death. If you kill me, the news will spread immediately and many complications will arise. I advise you to think twice."

Chu Shaoqiang was silent for a moment, then left Boundless Hospital.

Cuitic took off his mask and sat in his chair, breathing heavily for a long time.

He was terrified. Since the Peddler helped him control Green Beggar's power, Cuitic had never felt such an intense threat to his life.

A small, foot-tall green figure appeared on the table.

"Chu Shaoqiang has changed. Neizhou has changed him too much," the small green figure sighed. "If it were his old self, you'd be dead already. That's why I would never go to Neizhou."

Cuitic bowed to the small green figure. "I love Grand Patriarch," he said, "and my loyalty to the Daoist sect will never waver."

The small green figure chuckled. "I trust you. Daring to challenge Chu Shaoqiang, you truly have guts. What cultivation layer are you at now?"

"Currently, I am at the seventh layer," Cuitic replied.

The small green figure placed its right hand on its left shoulder, twisted forcefully, broke off its left arm, and handed it to Cuitic. "Eat this," it said, "and it will advance you to the eighth layer."

"Thank you for the Grand Patriarch's gift!" Cuitic devoured the arm without hesitation.

The small green figure nodded. "I have another task for you," it said. "Go to Jirengang and deliver something good to that scoundrel. If you succeed, I'll advance you to the ninth layer!"