Beside the large wine jar stood a vat of fresh spring water.
"How convenient."
Wu Yu smiled, crushed the four [Lifeless Evil Pills] in his hand, and scattered them into the wine jar and water vat.
Wu Yu had learned a little about the [Lifeless Evil Pills] while chatting with the Village Chief.
The Village Chief and a friend had found them after killing a Demonic Sect martial artist years ago. There had been ten in total, and they were a notorious kind of Demonic Sect pill.
Just a tiny amount could rob humans, animals, and other living creatures of their reason!
The Demonic Sect often liked to put them into wells in major towns and cities, inciting one wave of chaos and slaughter after another.
But they were precious, so the Village Chief had been reluctant to hand them over to the Government Office and had brought them home instead.
In theory, a single [Lifeless Evil Pill] would have been enough,
enough to drive the bandits mad.
But unexpected complications were possible. Wu Yu knew this was no time to be stingy, so he used four at once.
Then he checked the wine jar and water vat, confirming that the powder had dissolved on contact with the water, leaving no visible trace.
"Just what I'd expect from a Demonic Sect Elixir!"
Wu Yu smiled and was about to leave.
But as he turned, inspiration struck, and he immediately took out a flask of high-grade spirit wine.
Like Exquisite Food, it was a consumable that restored vitality. It could also restore spiritual power, making it a rare treasure.
But as supplies carried by a Sin Immortal, both high-grade spirit wine and Exquisite Food were valuable to him only for their taste.
Wu Yu had eaten plenty of the food. He had taken a small sip of the spirit wine during a rest on the road, then set it aside after confirming that its effects overlapped.
Still, he had to admit... its fragrance was enticing, and its flavor was wonderfully rich and mellow!
I could do this...
Wu Yu's eyes flickered as he carefully dripped a few drops into the wine jar.
He hesitated over the water vat, but ultimately added none to it.
With everything ready, Wu Yu slipped out carefully.
The bandits guarding the door were still asleep, but the cooks were rushed off their feet.
A short while later,
the cooks finished preparing the huge pots of rice and dishes, then came out cursing.
When they saw several bandits slacking off instead of hauling supplies, the cooks flew into a rage and actually went over to beat them.
Seizing the opportunity,
Wu Yu stepped into the kitchen, crushed three [Lifeless Evil Pills], and scattered them into the pots of food.
"More! More! Even a Transcendent Martial Artist will get a real kick out of this!"
Wu Yu swiftly left, a smile curling his lips.
A moment later,
the bandits hauling supplies trudged in looking thoroughly disgruntled, picked up the food, and carried it outside.
The bandit cooks helped carry things too, though they took the wine jar and water vat.
The group of fourteen headed toward the Residential Area on the right side of the stronghold...
Seeing this, Wu Yu did not follow. Instead, he inspected the kitchen area to make sure he had missed nothing, then found a concealed spot where he could watch that side and wait.
Time ticked by, second after second.
On the [Map],
the fog countdown kept ticking down as well.
At noon, the blazing sun shone dazzlingly overhead.
"Hmm!?"
Just as Wu Yu emerged from the latrine, his ears twitched. He immediately jogged over and looked toward the stronghold's Right-Side Area.
People were coming and going over there, but nothing much had changed yet.
Could the dose have been too weak?
Wu Yu frowned, feeling that he had still been too stingy.
After some thought,
he took out a small pebble and inscribed a [Bi Fang Sigil] on it as he waited.
A while later, he heard another strange sound.
"No! It's outside!"
His expression grew tense. Taking out several pebbles, he carefully walked over.
To his surprise, a huge boulder was moving along the cliff face outside the kitchen!
"What's this!?"
"A passage?"
Wu Yu's pupils contracted, and he hurled several stones over without hesitation!
The boulder slid aside, revealing a narrow passage behind it!
The pebbles flew inside and struck the ground with crisp clacks.
There was no one inside... Wu Yu frowned. Rather than detonate the pebbles, he walked closer.
The fierce midday sunlight flooded the mountain passage, driving away the darkness within.
In the sunlight, Wu Yu spotted a familiar figure.
Liu Yu!
He, too, wore ancient-style clothing and held a strange Oil Lamp.
"It's you!"
Liu Yu recognized Wu Yu from a considerable distance.
"So it was you!"
Wu Yu gauged the distance between them and did not attack.
"You..."
Liu Yu frowned deeply, seemingly pondering something.
A moment later,
he asked in astonishment, "Don't tell me you fought your way in through the front?"
"Of course not. I just sneaked in."
Wu Yu put on an honest, guileless expression while scattering pebbles across the passage entrance, using the blind spots in Liu Yu's field of view.
"Really?"
Liu Yu chuckled, then suddenly said, "You crafty little bastard. How about we work together to clear out the Evil Tiger Stronghold? I've got some strength. We can split the rewards according to our contributions!"
"That would be great!"
Wu Yu's eyes lit up, and he said excitedly, "With your help, Liu Yu, everyone in the Evil Tiger Stronghold is as good as dead!"
"..."
Liu Yu abruptly fell silent and gave Wu Yu a long, searching look.
Then he suddenly backed away, turned, and ran!
Before long, he had vanished from Wu Yu's sight.
"Huh?"
Wu Yu frowned.
"He's so secretive. What's his talent?"
"Forget it!"
He picked up the pebbles from the ground, considered for a moment, then left a few behind just in case.
He had been planning to give Liu Yu a nasty surprise...
What a shame!
Suddenly, a clamor reached his ears.
Wu Yu stirred and hurriedly turned to look toward the stronghold's Right-Side Area.
It had descended into utter chaos. Large numbers of bandits had lost their reason. Many were already fighting like mad, every punch striking flesh, every man wounded.
Others stared blankly into space, standing motionless and drooling.
Some bandits were doing things that defied description, a truly eye-searing sight.
"Excellent!"
Wu Yu's eyes lit up, but he remained calm and continued watching.
Only after confirming that no one was going to raise the alarm or still had their wits about them did he carefully make his way over.
Before long, Wu Yu reached his destination.
Up close, the buildings here looked more fully equipped. There was even a Medicine Room.
Inside the Medicine Room, the bandits' doctor had also been poisoned and was sitting on the floor, drooling.
On the table in the Medicine Room sat a bowl of wine beside a plate of food.
Only a few bites of food had been eaten, but the wine had been drained.
"My high-grade spirit wine really is delicious."
Wu Yu made a circuit of the area and breathed a sigh of relief.
Even the doctor had gone down. The other bandits stood no chance.
After surveying the scene, he first took up his Short Blade and slit the throats of the vacant-eyed bandits who had already lost the ability to move, one by one.
He felt somewhat uncomfortable at first, but practice made perfect, and he grew faster and faster.
Next, he dealt with the bandits engaged in those indescribable acts. They kept writhing around, however, so Wu Yu had to use Heaven-and-Earth Toss to throw his Short Blade, killing each with a single strike!
Only then did he turn his attention to the bandits still fighting.
The bandits were utterly crazed, punching and kicking, some even biting with their teeth. They were covered in wounds, and many already lay dead on the ground.
"The dead ones... haven't dissolved into light."
"Looks like they won't disappear or drop Cards unless a Tower Climber kills them."
Deep in thought, Wu Yu drew his Short Blade and walked over.
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