ATPnovel Chapter 49 Caution
Chapter 49 Caution
"This medicine is amazing!"
Just as these people were lost in their sweet dreams, the middle-aged man wearing a mask took out a handkerchief and shook it in front of Shen Che and the others, causing the medicinal powder inside to spill out instantly.
Shen Che secretly sniffed the handkerchief; the main ingredient spilled inside was a sleeping potion, and a particularly potent one at that.
Even if they hold their breath, the drug can seep into their skin and bloodstream, causing them to fall into a complete coma.
It appears to contain drugs that weaken one's physical abilities and make one's muscles weak.
In this way, whether you're genuinely unconscious or feigning unconsciousness, this whole process will guarantee you collapse. It will also leave your limbs weak and your skills completely gone.
Fortunately, before they arrived, Shen Che had Bai Xiyu hold a mouthful of water in her mouth, the same water that had soaked the cicada on his waist. This medicine shouldn't have much effect on the two of them.
As for the remaining two, we can only let them fend for themselves.
"That is..."
While Shen Che was quietly observing, the person who was laughing the most joyfully, and who also seemed the most ethereal and intoxicated among them, suddenly began to tremble all over.
A pupa, similar to a cicada but several sizes smaller, is emerging from this person's stomach.
Fresh blood accompanied the cicada pupa as it broke through the flesh at the abdomen, crawled up the abdomen to the heart, and then took root in the skin and flesh of the heart.
The blood on the chest seemed to be continuously flowing into the pupa, and the mountain man's face grew paler and paler, while the insect seemed to turn blood red in an instant.
Gradually, with a snapping sound, the shell on the insect's back began to crack, and a process similar to a cicada's molting was taking place.
The mountain people who have settled here not only become increasingly gaunt, but their hair also turns white rapidly, and wrinkles gradually creep across their foreheads, making them seem to age at an alarming rate.
Time seemed to have passed by him in the blink of an eye, many years gone by.
Throughout this process, he maintained that ethereal, carefree, and joyful demeanor.
Even as her body underwent changes, she showed no signs of pain; on the contrary, her facial expression became increasingly one of enjoyment.
By the time the insect fully hatched, the other person's body was already old and unrecognizable. The insect, which had been inside the pupa, transformed into a smaller cicada and flew into the hand of the masked middle-aged man.
A moment later, the middle-aged man's body seemed to undergo some changes, and a few white hairs on his head appeared to be turning black silently.
At this time, the cicadas were not as lively as before, and looked somewhat listless.
As soon as the middle-aged man waved his hand, the cicada flew back in the direction it had come from, but this time it didn't fly towards the heart; instead, it burrowed into the man's ear.
A moment later, the mountain dweller's body began to convulse violently, and it took a long time for it to stop.
At that moment, he suddenly stood up, but his movements looked stiff and mechanical.
The expression on his face was no longer one of enjoyment, but rather one of blankness and numbness. His eyes also lacked any of the sparkle a normal person should have, and there wasn't even a trace of extra emotion in them.
It was as if what was in front of me was not a person, but a cold machine devoid of any emotion.
A few moments later, the remaining villagers gradually woke up.
At this moment, they seemed to be still immersed in the previous feeling and unable to extricate themselves. After slowly waking up, they all had a sense of loss on their faces.
If possible, if given a choice, they would definitely choose to never wake up again.
"Alright, now that you're awake, you can all go back." The middle-aged man waved to the others who had woken up, then pointed to the mountain villager who was standing there in a daze.
"Of all of you, only he has successfully transformed this time. He will leave with me, and from now on, we will be on different levels."
His words left everyone stunned, followed by envy and longing.
But no matter how much they envy, it's useless. If there's no transformation, there's no transformation. It's not something they can change just because they want to.
Seeing that these people were lingering, the middle-aged man was not angry. Instead, he calmly said in a low voice, "You still need to work hard. You will also have the opportunity to transform in the future."
"Once the transformation is complete, from then on, not only will the blissful honey pills be inexhaustible, but you will also enjoy wealth and glory to the fullest."
"By then, you will no longer be ordinary people who go hungry one day and worry about making a living every day."
"Go back. Only by capturing more of these江湖人士 (jianghu figures) can you obtain more 极乐蜜丸 (Ji Le Mi Wan), and have a greater chance of completing your transformation."
He waved to the group again, then the middle-aged man picked up the two men and quickly left.
The mountain dweller behind him, who had already completed his so-called transformation, grabbed the remaining two, one in each hand, and quickly followed the middle-aged man's footsteps.
The speed and power of that maneuver captivated the mountain villagers who lingered behind him.
This is transformation; every time I see it, it's unbelievable.
Previously, Da Niu's physical condition was so poor that he would be out of breath after walking only a few steps. Since taking the Blissful Honey Pill, their physical condition has been getting stronger and stronger.
Now that it has completed its transformation, it has become as strong as an ox.
Two grown men, and he could run as fast as if walking on flat ground with one hand on each. He never dared to imagine this before. He was indeed on a different level from them.
As the two figures receded into the distance, the remaining villagers withdrew their envious gazes and, with burning hearts, immediately descended the mountain.
They want to capture more people, exchange them for more honey pills, and strive to complete their transformation as soon as possible and get rid of their peasant identity.
They also want to take honey pills without limit, and they want to enjoy all the riches and honors.
After running for a while, the mountain dweller who was supposed to have completed his transformation collapsed to the ground, his whole body like a withered tree, all his vitality drained away.
Shen Che, who was being held in his hand, was also thrown hard to the ground.
If I hadn't been physically strong enough, I would have been bruised and battered.
Shen Che was grabbed by the fallen mountain villager and felt the changes in his body with exceptional clarity.
This is not a transformation at all; it is clearly the complete burning and consumption of the last bit of life force in the other person's body in order to bring about this seemingly transformative change.
When life force is completely exhausted, it naturally lies still and becomes a corpse.
The middle-aged man glanced back with slight annoyance, but he was not at all surprised by what he saw.
The cicada that had been growing inside the mountain dweller's body flew out again, regaining the vitality it had when it first hatched, and landed in the middle-aged man's hand.
As for the mountain dweller's body, it was thrown directly into the cliff by the middle-aged man, without even a second glance.
He put his hand to his mouth and made a strange whistling sound. Soon, countless flying insects swarmed up from all directions, and then gradually returned to calm.
"No one was being followed. Looks like everything's normal again!"
Nodding in satisfaction, the middle-aged man then gave the signal and waited for someone to come and meet him.
Upon seeing this, Shen Che was also taken aback. Using the flying insects in the mountains and forests as eyes and ears, if someone were really following them, who would care about the flying insects that filled the mountains and forests? They would be easily detected.
Good method, and cautious enough.
After waiting for a while, the backup arrived. Shen Che and the others were lifted up again and carried around in circles, so much so that they almost peed themselves.
Finally, they were all stuffed into sacks and thrown into what was either a horse-drawn carriage or an oxcart, the smell of medicinal herbs wafting through the air.
The aroma of the various herbs is almost identical to that of most commonly used herbs, perfectly masking their individual scents.
Moreover, judging from the sounds and movements of the convoy, with shouts from people and neighing from horses, the convoy was definitely not small.
I just don't know whether we brought more medicinal herbs or more people on this trip.