Volume 3
Chapter 275: Impersonation (1)
To Jun Wu Xie, her concept of an alliance, was just something that made things easier for her if available to use, and would not be much of a concern even if she did not make one.
She had initially planned to do everything on her own anyway.
But…..
Did she look like she was….. kidding?
Hua Yao and Qiao Chu exchanged a quick glance and immediately saw the obvious answer in each other’s eyes.
Hua Yao looked at Jun Wu Xie and said: “We can work together, and after we succeed, we have a favour to ask of you.”
“Speak.” Jun Wu Xie was not surprised in the least. Qiao Chu had been enthusiastic all this time, and she did not think that having met just once before, would make Qiao Chu so fiercely protective of her.
“Qiao Chu mentioned that you have a way with producing elixirs, and we would like to ask for your help to produce a certain elixir. We will provide you with the recipe, and we will help to gather the herbs needed. You will only need to complete it from there.” Hua Yao paused before he continued: “We do not demand guaranteed success, but only hope you can give it your best shot. If it is successfully completed, we would be most grateful. But if it happened to fail, we will not force the issue further.”
Jun Wu Xie nodded slightly. Little wonder Qiao Chu had been so protective of her, it seemed like the elixir she had produced in the Ghost City had made Qiao Chu take notice of her.
To have made Hua Yao and Qiao Chu request for it so solemnly, it would not be anything simple or easy. But when Hua Yao had been so upfront about it, she saw no reason to reject him of his request.
Besides, in terms of medicine and the skills involved in elixir production, Jun Wu Xie had utmost confidence in herself.
As long as anyone in this world had successfully produced the elixir before, she did not believe it would be beyond her!
“Alright, you have my word.” Jun Wu Xie agreed without any hesitation.
Qiao Chu’s face broke into a joyous smile, “I knew it! I knew you would agree!”
“………” Jun Wu Xie looked at Qiao Chu, it was just a fair deal between two parties, excessive emotions would only cloud the mind.
Hua Yao was used to Qiao Chu’s exuberant personality and ignored his outburst, he then proceeded to tell Jun Wu Xie about the Hidden Cloud Peak in detail.
Having been in the Hidden Cloud Peak for a whole month, Hua Yao’s understanding of the Hidden Cloud Peak completely overshadowed Bai Yun Xian’s.
Ke Cang Ju stayed within his own quarters every morning and never stepped out. He would only pass down instructions to the disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak in the afternoon and only for a short while. He was alone most of the time and even the authentic disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak did not have much interaction with him. After sundown, Ke Cang Ju would come to this underground chamber, and subject his new recruits to unspeakable torment.
For the youths imprisoned here in this chamber, Ke Cang Ju only saw them as test subjects for his various experiments and research, consisting mainly of feeding poisons and torturing. All kinds of experiments are carried out here daily.
After sundown, the Hidden Cloud Peak turns into a nightmarish hell.
And for those who die from his experiments, would be carted out in the dead of the night by the disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak and be buried within the herb beds, to lend nourishment to the growing herbs as fertiliser.
After being admitted into the Hidden Cloud Peak, unless they become a genuine disciple under Ke Cang Ju himself, they would not ever leave the Hidden Cloud Peak, not even after they died.
Those people were fated to never leave here alive, the moment they stepped into the Hidden Cloud Peak.
Jun Wu Xie listened intently to Hua Yao, her cold eyes lowered, as she pondered a moment. She suddenly raised her head and looked at Hua Yao to ask: “You can freely control your bones, can you change your body shape and looks?”
Hua Yao was shocked! And he seemed to realise what Jun Wu Xie was asking, but did not seem sure before he nodded.
Volume 3
Chapter 276: “Impersonation (2)”
“Kill Ke Cang Ju, and have you take his place.” Jun Wu Xie narrowed her eyes as she revealed her plan.
Hua Yao and Qiao Chu felt the shock reverberate through their entire beings.
They never would have expected that Jun Wu Xie would even think about killing Ke Cang Ju the very first night she entered the Hidden Cloud Peak!
Jun Wu Xie might have stated her objective for coming to the Qing Yun Clan was to wipe out the whole Qing Yun Clan. But wasn’t the speed the plans were being carried out a tad bit too fast!?
“Can it be done?” Qiao Chu stared at Jun Wu Xie stunned, unable to accept such shocking ideas coming from the petite and refined looking youth before him.
Jun Wu Xie frowned.
Hua Yao replied instead: “How do you intend to do it? I might be able to change my bones’ structure, but I am unable to transform my skin. Even if I am to change my facial bone structure to be exactly like Ke Cang Ju, I won’t be able to replicate that face.”
“I have my ways.” Jun Wu Xie looked at Hua Yao, “You do not have to do anything else, but to wait here.”
Hua Yao stared at Jun Wu Xie a moment, as if guessing at her intentions. He decided not say anything further, and gave his silent consent.
The three young youths made their first pact of agreement in the dark, dank, and wet underground chamber. Their cooperation this time, was the start to the tangles that was destined to bind their lives.
At the earliest break of dawn, Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu left the underground chamber. Before they left, Jun Wu Xie witnessed Hua Yao drive the stakes into his body and hung himself back onto the hooks and bound himself to the chains.
He looked just as he had before they found him.
After a night of torment, the newly recruited youths were tired beyond words. Before Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu reached their quarters, they saw over twenty of the battered and exhausted youths leaning beside the water urns. At that moment, they seemed to have lost their spirit and energy, lying around like limp rag dolls, listless and limpid. Many of them were soaking wet and the buckets used to carry the water laid beside them, and they had no strength left to go on. Having gone hungry a whole day and night, the stomachs were growling furiously, and the night’s hard labour and resulting exhaustion wringed every ounce of energy out from their bodies, and many of them had fallen asleep where they sat.
Jun Wu Xie’s and Qiao Chu’s arrival had not been noticed by anyone else and they conveniently picked a spot to sit down. Without anyone seeing, Jun Wu Xie pushed an elixir into the hands of Qiao Chu.
“What is this?” Qiao Chu looked at the greyish elixir in his hand, and then looked in puzzlement at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie glanced at Qiao Chu but did not feel like explaining. She picked up the elixir from Qiao Chu’s hand and slapped her hand onto Qiao Chu’s mouth, sending the elixir down the his throat, and swallowed an elixir herself.
“………” The extremely bitter elixir slipped down his throat and brought tears to Qiao Chu’s eyes. He grimaced in agony as he stared at Jun Wu Xie, and pinched on his own nose.
This kid was simply straightforward and brutal!
When the first rays of light spilled onto the lands, the exhausted youths were stirred back to consciousness by the blinding light. The figures picked themselves up wearily and wobbled unsteadily into their sleeping quarters.
They was nothing else they wanted more than to go back and sink into their beds, and drink a few mouthfuls of water to flush away the hunger pangs.
Not a single one of them was able to complete the task set to them, and according to what the Hidden Cloud Peak senior had said, they would not have any breakfast either.
A pity but the torment had not ended. Just when the new recruits were dragging themselves back into the quarters,
they were stopped by the senior disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak who had just awoken.
Volume 3
Chapter 277: “Impersonation (3)”
“Have all of you finished it?” The fully refreshed disciple asked as he looked upon the group of wretched and exhausted youth, as an evil smile appeared on his lips.
The youths lowered their heads, unable to make a sound.
“What a bunch of losers! Since you can’t even complete such a simple task, you can forget about breakfast! Now, go and get the water from the urns and water the herb beds!” Without allowing the ravaged youths any chance to rest, more torment was being heaped upon them.
Howls of protests sounded from those youths then.
“Senior, we are dying from exhaustion, and did not sleep a wink last night….. Can we sleep just a little before we go?” A braver youth among them pleaded for them.
The next moment, as soon as those words had left his mouth, the Hidden Cloud Peak disciple rushed at him and kicked him hard in the stomach, making the weakened youth double over and fell onto the floor, howling in pain.
“What a lazy bunch! These rules in the Hidden Cloud Peak are meant to be followed once you are admitted! Anyone who refuses to follow them can pack up and leave!” The Hidden Cloud Peak disciple looked at every single one of them in disdain and gave a cold laugh, the cruel look in his eyes did not even see those new recruits as humans anymore.
Under threat and fear….. made these totally exhausted youths huddle together, unable to argue further. They dragged themselves to their feet and straggled outside.
The Hidden Cloud Peak did not allow any outsiders to enter, and hence, no one knew what went on behind their firmly closed doors.
There was no one to come save these sacrificial lambs about to be sent to slaughter.
“Say, if these guys knew they would be tortured to death by the Hidden Cloud Peak, would they still cling on so desperately to be admitted into the Hidden Cloud Peak?” Qiao Chu walked slowly out of the quarters and looked at the figures before him walking unsteadily, his eyes inquisitive.
Ke Cang Ju was a bad egg, but these scoundrels were no angels as well. When they had just come to the Hidden Cloud Peak, they had sneered and jeered at him and Jun Wu Xie. He doubted they had the energy to do that anymore.
Jun Wu Xie did not say anything. She lowered her eyes and looked at the ground before her feet.
A place like this, totally disgusted her every moment she was here.
And since it disgusted her that much, she would totally wipe the place out!
Qiao Chu waited for Jun Wu Xie to reply but she did not say a word. He then turned his head and suddenly saw that Jun Wu Xie’s pink cheeks had lost all colour, and her lips were deathly white!
“Jun Xie! You…..” Qiao Chu had just opened his mouth to speak when he suddenly felt the world spin around him. Before he could react, he involuntarily feel flat on his face onto the ground.
Two loud thuds alerted the youths who were walking before them. They turned their heads to see and found that the trailing pair of Qiao Chu and Jun Wu Xie had fainted, as they lay flat on the ground. They had shown no prior signs of fatigue but their faces were now deathly pale and the dry cracked lips were white!
“H….. help! Some people fainted!” Shouts erupted from the group of youths.
The Hidden Cloud Peak disciples were drawn to the noise and they immediately spotted Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu lying at the side of the path the moment they stepped out.
For just a brief moment, a flash of malicious glee flashed within the eyes of the disciples of the Hidden Cloud Peak, but it disappeared very soon after.
They put on an exasperated face thereafter and reprimanded with disdain at the group of youths: “What a useless bunch this is! They are falling to pieces after just one night in the Hidden Cloud Peak! Get some people here and bring these two useless pieces of thrash back to Elder Ke. I can’t believe they could be this hopeless! They are more trouble than they are worth and would only be a bother to the Elder!”
They bumbling group of youths looked with uncertainty at what was happening here. According to the senior Hidden Cloud Peak disciples, they would be sent to Elder Ke for treatment, and they were suddenly comforted by the fact that the Elder of the Hidden Cloud Peak took a personal interest in the well being of their disciples…..
Volume 3
Chapter 278: “Impersonation (4)”
That must be true! The Hidden Cloud Peak would never torment them like this without reason. This must be a test for them! If they can hold out a little longer, they would soon become a true disciple of the Hidden Cloud Peak!
After they told themselves that they would be treated by the Elder himself if they were to fall ill, their earlier complaints of exhaustion seemed to evaporate into the air. Some of them even started to anticipate eagerly for their bodies to succumb to exhaustion and be subjected to the ‘treatment’ from Elder Ke, and pushed their bodies beyond their limits.
The fantasy that enveloped the naive youths gave them renewed strength and their ravaged bodies were suddenly able to move as the youths moved out determined to succeed.
“Dumb pieces of trash.” The Hidden Cloud Peak disciple muttered to himself as he stood at the entrance to the quarters, his eyes fixed on the naive sacrifices who were oblivious to the certain death that awaited them at the end of their disillusioned good fortune, as they trudged out to suffer further torment.
“Do we just send these two to the Elder?” A few Hidden Cloud Peak disciples walked over and kicked at the unmoving pair lying on the ground asked easily.
“Just send them up, I did not expect that there to be such weak ones among the sheep that would succumb to the torture on the very first night. They’re sure out of luck.” Without feeling any pity for the pair, two Hidden Cloud Peak disciples carried Qiao Chu and Jun Wu Xie, moving deeper into the peak.
As they made their way in, the disciples paid no attention to the injured pair and handled them roughly. After some time, they came before the same building that Qiao Chu and Jun Wu Xie had sneaked into last night.
The doors to the building were open and the guards at the doors allowed the disciples in without stopping them when the guards saw them carrying the two injured over their shoulders.
After they entered, Qiao Chu and Jun Wu Xie were thrown like sacks onto the hard floor.
With a boom, the doors to the building were then closed.
Qiao Chu lay flat on the ground, his face stuck to the dirty floor, his pale face in a grimace.
Will somebody tell him what was happening to him?
Why did he suddenly faint? What scared him more was that after he collapsed, he had remained conscious, and heard every single word of the conversation between the senior disciples. And no matter how hard he tried, he could not move a finger.
He had remained conscious, and his half closed eyes had allowed him to see everything that was going on. But he just could not….. move!
What kind of an elixir did Jun Xie give him? Why is he in such a state?
As Qiao Chu was feeling helpless and confused on the hard floor, he suddenly noticed a little shadow that suddenly flashed past before his eyes. The shadow nimbly jumped across the room and finally stopped before a shelf filled with medicinal jars.
It was a graceful little black cat, and its chest was decorated with a brilliant crest of gold!
The little black cat noticed Qiao Chu eyes as it licked its paws slowly and swished its tail lazily, before it jumped up to hide behind the jars of medicine.
Time passed, before the doors to the building were opened again. The sun shone in through the doors and lit the dim room with its light. A crooked figure shuffled to stand before the doors into the room, the light shining behind him.
“Stay alert and watch carefully, I do not want any disturbances.” An evil chilling voice was heard, one that made anyone feel like they were dipped into the icy cold water of a winter lake.
; Before the comforting sunlight could warm the cold hard floor, the doors to the room were shut tight once again!
The sharp jingle of bells sounded in the ears of Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu, and the sound gradually came closer to the two figures lying motionless upon the ground. The jingles of bells beat at their thumping hearts, its rhythm in tandem with their heartbeats.
Volume 3
Chapter 279: “Fifth Slap (1)”
Ke Cang Ju stood, his back hunched and his eyes narrowed as he stared at the two youths, his darkened lips curled in a cruel arc. He shook his hands and two lengths of chains slipped out from his voluminous sleeves. He secured the chains around the bellies of Qiao Chu and Jun Wu Xie, and dragged the unconscious pair towards the underground chamber.
After he left, a nimble black shadow slipped from behind the medicinal jars upon the shelf and followed, its small body blended into the darkness easily as it dove into the tunnel leading down into the chamber.
In the deep underground chamber, the nauseating smell of blood permeated throughout, mixed with the strong smell of herbs that assaulted one’s sense of smell.
The crisply clear jingle of the bells followed Ke Cang Ju as he shuffled forward, and the two Hidden Cloud Peak disciples who were busying themselves within the underground chamber immediately dropped the tasks at at hand and went up to Ke Cang Ju when they heard him coming.
“Master.” The two disciples bowed respectfully.
Ke Cang Ju released the chains around Jun Wu Xie and Qiao Chu and said to the two disciples: “Bring them over.”
“Yes, Master.”
The disciples picked up the two youths and carried them over to the raised wooden platforms at the side.
Two loud thuds sounded as the youths were thrown carelessly upon the wooden boards.
Genius Doctor: Black Belly Miss Volume 3 Page 19