Chapter 337: Aconite Frost

Pan Yong and Qin Laotou arrived together inside Shang Xiangyu's stone chamber.

Pan Yong walked to the low cabinet in the corner, fished a pitch-black key from his inner robe pocket, squatted down, and opened the copper lock on the lower level of the cabinet.

A pair of rather thick iron doors opened, revealing a partition in the middle that divided the space into two levels.

Pan Yong rummaged through the bottles and jars on the upper level before pinching a porcelain bottle in his hand, standing up, and handing it to Qin Laotou, who was not far away.

Qin Laotou had been standing impatiently behind Pan Yong, peering into the cabinet; seeing Pan Yong hand over the porcelain bottle, he immediately snatched it, opened the stopper, and took a sniff.

Upon smelling the unique scent of Water Moon, a flicker of intoxication flashed in his eyes.

Qin Laotou tucked the porcelain bottle into his sleeve, raised his head, and looked at Pan Yong with a worried expression, asking, "I heard from Duan Rong that Master Shang is going down the mountain this time and will be away for over half a year before returning?"

Pan Yong was taken aback upon hearing this and said, "Mm, that is what Master Shang said when he left."

"Then I wonder how many bottles of the Water Moon medicinal liquid are left? Will it be enough to sustain me until Master Shang returns to the mountain?"

Pan Yong said, "Elder Qin, I think you will probably have to control your dosage. Including the bottle in your hand, there are only four bottles of Water Moon left in total. As for the 'over half a year' Master Shang mentioned, who knows exactly when he will be back. It is better to be frugal and play it safe."

Qin Laotou's expression immediately turned unpleasant. "This... what is to be done? Pan Yong, you have been with Master Shang for so long; do you know how to prepare this stuff?"

Qin Laotou's tone already held a hint of pleading.

Pan Yong shook his head with a cold, hard expression.

Shang Xiangyu only let him handle chores and never allowed him to touch the actual medicine refining and preparation.

Qin Laotou's last shred of hope was shattered, his gaze dimmed instantly, and he furrowed his brows, muttering, "Then it can only be one bottle every two months; if things go poorly, I'll be coughing up blood again. Sigh... I hope this old life of mine can last until Master Shang returns..."

One bottle every two months, four bottles would be eight months; Qin Laotou thought that by the time that arrived, Shang Xiangyu should be back.

Pan Yong stood at the cave entrance, watching Qin Laotou walk away.

He did not leave, but instead turned back into Shang Xiangyu's stone chamber and walked once more to the low cabinet in the corner.

Pan Yong squatted down and pulled the closed cabinet door open with a single tug.

He had not locked it at all after taking the Water Moon for Qin Laotou just moments ago.

Pan Yong squatted there with a solemn look, rummaged through the bottles and jars on the lower level for a while, and finally pinched a small purple porcelain bottle from the very back, clutching it in his hand.

Pan Yong glanced at the purple, thin-necked, round-bellied porcelain bottle in his hand, and for some reason, his expression turned chillingly frightening...

He carefully placed the porcelain bottle into his inner pocket, then locked the cabinet door and walked out of the stone chamber.

Deep within the gloomy cave.

Duan Rong sat cross-legged in the darkness, his brows tightly furrowed.

Circulating True Qi and refining medicinal power consumed a great deal of mental energy, especially when sitting in stillness for an entire day like he was. It truly was a case of "if one is not obsessed, one cannot succeed."

However, after these few days of day-and-night hard cultivation, the True Qi in his dantian was clearly much thicker; although there was still a significant distance to go before achieving the True Qi Realm First Stage, by Duan Rong's estimation, it was not much different from the level of vigor in Pan Yong's True Qi.

He prepared to cultivate hard for another three or four days before finding an opportunity to make a move on Pan Yong.

Duan Rong was concentrating his Divine Soul, refining the residual medicinal power in his meridians from the Zhengyang Pill he had swallowed that morning, when suddenly, Pan Yong's voice rang out from outside the cave.

Duan Rong's brows furrowed slightly, he exhaled lightly, stopped the circulation of his True Qi, got off the stone bed, and walked out of the cave.

Duan Rong stood at the cave entrance.

Amidst the gloomy daylight leaking through the gaps in the leaden clouds, Pan Yong looked at him with a smile and said, "Elder Qin came over to get medicine this morning. He mentioned that you, Disciple, look haggard and worn out. He even told me, as your Senior Brother, to look after you properly."

"This old man's words have made me feel so ashamed..."

Duan Rong stood there, staring blankly at Pan Yong, unsure for a moment what kind of act he was putting on.

Pan Yong paused slightly, looked at Duan Rong, and continued, "Disciple, ever since you entered the mountain, my concern for you as your Senior Brother has truly been insufficient. Since Tang Zhu's accidental death, we haven't had a proper hot meal. Today, Senior Brother specially prepared a few dishes; come, let's taste my cooking."

As Pan Yong spoke, he actually tugged on Duan Rong's sleeve.

Duan Rong stood there, still not having come to his senses.

He truly did not understand what Pan Yong was trying to do.

Inviting him to eat, building rapport?!

Seeing that Duan Rong had not yet reacted, Pan Yong said again, "Disciple, it's not that Senior Brother wants to lecture you, but you can cultivate hard every day, which shows a firm Dao Heart. But you must eat something. Drinking clear water every day, even a body made of iron couldn't take it."

Duan Rong's gaze flickered as he looked at Pan Yong and said, "Many thanks for your concern, Senior Brother."

"Then let's go, Disciple." Pan Yong said, already walking forward.

Duan Rong blinked his eyes and followed along.

Once Pan Yong saw Duan Rong following, his heart finally eased.

Duan Rong followed behind Pan Yong, his thoughts churning.

He went over everything that had happened in the few days since Shang Xiangyu left in his mind.

He suspected whether he had revealed some flaw that allowed Pan Yong to guess his intentions.

Duan Rong thought it over and over, but there were no slips; the only anomaly was perhaps that he had been holed up in the cave cultivating hard every day.

Could it be this small anomaly that alerted Pan Yong?

Or did this guy really want to improve his relationship with him now that Shang Xiangyu was gone?

Duan Rong could not fathom Pan Yong's intentions for a moment, but he had long since seen that this fellow Pan Yong was someone who wouldn't get up early without profit. He was definitely up to something with this act.

As Duan Rong walked, he projected his Divine Sense, piercing through Pan Yong's body...

It was always better to be careful in all things.

Pan Yong led Duan Rong into his cave.

This was the first time Duan Rong had entered Pan Yong's cave since he had been here for so long.

As soon as he entered, Duan Rong was slightly startled.

Pan Yong's cave was surprisingly tidy and well-organized. Moreover, there were almost all kinds of items; he even saw a Copper Mirror on a stone table inside.

Duan Rong's gaze suddenly fixed; he saw something hanging in the cave.

"This is... a Hammock?"

The Hammock was a net woven from vines, hung in the cave with two long nails.

Pan Yong caught sight of Duan Rong staring at the hammock and said, "The stone bed is too hard; I'm not used to sleeping on it. Setting up this hammock makes sleeping more comfortable."

Duan Rong's gaze swept across the cave, feeling moved that this guy could actually live so refined a life even here.

Pan Yong smiled and said, "Disciple, if you like it, I can weave one for you later."

Duan Rong said, "That won't be necessary. Senior Brother is quite handy, though."

Pan Yong let out a laugh, pointed to the stone table nearby, and said, "Disciple, please take a seat!"

Duan Rong looked closely and saw four white porcelain plates on the stone table, each covered by a porcelain bowl.

Duan Rong and Pan Yong then sat down before the stone table.

Pan Yong picked up the four covered bowls one by one, smiling as he said, "Just four dishes to entertain you, Disciple; it's a bit meager."

"Senior Brother, you are too kind."

Duan Rong's gaze brightened slightly; he had caught a scent.

Pan Yong took a pair of bowls and chopsticks and placed them in front of Duan Rong and himself respectively.

Then, with great enthusiasm, he introduced the four dishes on the table. "This is stir-fried chicken. This is braised rabbit meat. This is steamed fish. And this, Disciple, is mushrooms I freshly picked in the mountains; I blanched them and tossed them with shredded ginger and minced garlic..."

"Come, Disciple, have a taste."

Pan Yong smiled, used his unused chopsticks to pick up chicken pieces and mushrooms for Duan Rong, and then began to eat heartily on his own.

After eating for a while, Pan Yong suddenly looked up, only to see Duan Rong still sitting before the stone table, just looking at him expressionlessly, not even having picked up his chopsticks.

"Disciple, why aren't you eating? Is it not to your taste?"

Duan Rong sighed and suddenly said, "Senior Brother, how did you figure out that I was going to kill you?"

Pan Yong's expression froze, then he smiled and said, "Disciple, don't tell such cold jokes. Why would you kill your Senior Brother for no reason?"

Duan Rong glanced at Pan Yong and said, "Senior Brother, have you noticed that after you opened the bowls, there has been a faint scent of mint floating in the air?"

"A faint scent of mint? Is there?" Pan Yong twitched his nose and indeed caught a faint smell of mint. "This is..."

The look in Pan Yong's eyes as he looked at Duan Rong was already filled with suspicion.

Duan Rong said, "Senior Brother doesn't need to look at me like that. Did you cause this scent?"

"I caused it?" Pan Yong's gaze grew even more confused. "I don't have any mint here?"

Duan Rong suddenly said, "Senior Brother, do you know that Master Shang has a type of poison called Wutou Frost?"

The moment the three words "Wutou Frost" were spat out from Duan Rong's mouth, Pan Yong's expression finally changed; his face became somewhat ferocious, and a flash of disgust crossed his eyes.

"How do you know about Wutou Frost? As far as I know, this is Master Shang's unique poison, and few people know of it."

Duan Rong sneered.

He had devoured the many years of discarded waste from Shang Xiangyu; if it came to understanding Shang Xiangyu, who could compare to him?

Duan Rong did not answer Pan Yong's question. "Senior Brother, although you know that Wutou Frost is odorless and tasteless, and its toxicity is fierce—even a Martial Artist in the True Qi Realm would find it hard to suppress its toxicity—you don't know that this Wutou Frost has a certain characteristic, do you?"

Pan Yong's heart stirred. "A certain characteristic? What characteristic?"

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong with flickering eyes; he felt that Duan Rong was just bluffing.

Duan Rong glanced at the plate of cold-tossed mushrooms on the stone table and said, "That is, when Wutou Frost encounters ginger, it emits a faint scent of mint."

Pan Yong's gaze tightened. It would have been fine if Duan Rong hadn't said anything, but once he did, he indeed felt that the mint scent near the plate of cold-tossed mushrooms seemed to have become a bit stronger.

He had originally thought Duan Rong was bluffing, that he had guessed he was poisoning him and had deliberately spoken the name of Wutou Frost to trick him.

But now, he no longer thought so.

There was no mint in his cave, and he hadn't put any mint in those four dishes. Yet, he was indeed smelling mint now, and it was emanating from that plate of cold-tossed mushrooms.

If what Duan Rong said was all true, how did he know about this characteristic of Wutou Frost? He had been by Master Shang's side for so long and didn't even know Wutou Frost had this characteristic; how did Duan Rong find out?

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong with fear in his eyes; only now did he realize that Duan Rong was far more terrifying than he had imagined!

At this moment, Duan Rong had already stood up. He looked at Pan Yong with a cold expression and said, "Senior Brother, you guessed right. I do intend to kill you! I originally planned to wait a few more days. Since you've seen through it, then let it be now!"

As Duan Rong spoke, he drew the Minghong Saber with a *whoosh*, his figure flashed, and he slashed toward Pan Yong.

Pan Yong was also well-prepared; his figure instantly flew backward. In mid-air, his right hand drew from his waist, and with a series of clattering sounds, his Soft Sword flashed before him, the sword light flickering and dazzling the eyes.

The cave was cramped, but both of them had extraordinary movement techniques. Inside the cave, they traded blows, and within a single breath, they had already exchanged several moves.

The web between Duan Rong's thumb and forefinger vibrated faintly; although he had been cultivating diligently, he was ultimately just cramming at the last minute. When it came down to it, his True Qi was still a notch inferior to Pan Yong's.

Duan Rong's sweeping mountain-cleaving saber was sometimes delicate and subtle, sometimes fierce and heavy; when attacking, it often left people struggling to defend, unable to cope.

But Pan Yong's Soft Sword almost protected his entire body airtight; Duan Rong's series of powerful attacks were easily blocked by him.

After a bout of entanglement, the two separated.

Both of them gripped their weapons; not only was the web between Duan Rong's thumb and forefinger vibrating with pain, but Pan Yong's was as well.

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong not far away and sneered. "Disciple, if you want to kill me, I'm afraid it won't be that easy."

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Of course. But I still must kill you. Because I have a use for Senior Brother's life."

Although Duan Rong was smiling, his eyes shone with a clear and earnest gaze. Pan Yong's heart trembled slightly; he could see that Duan Rong would spare no cost to kill him.

"Disciple, if you really kill me, how will you answer to Master Shang when he returns?" Pan Yong stared at Duan Rong and asked sternly.

Duan Rong sighed slightly and said, "Senior Brother, Master Shang will not be returning."

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Pan Yong said angrily.

Duan Rong said, "Senior Brother, having been by Master Shang's side for so long, you must have noticed Master Shang's hands were aged and covered in wrinkles. And that head of silver hair..."

"Master Shang is... he was poisoned. And he has already forced the poison out; there is only some residual poison left uncleared."

Duan Rong sneered, "He is suffering from the exhaustion of his origin."

"Exhaustion of his origin?" Pan Yong's gaze became wistful, as if he had thought of something.

Duan Rong said, "Yes. For this condition, medicine is useless!"

"Medicine is useless?" Pan Yong's eyes began to wander; past signs made him feel that what Duan Rong said was the truth.

Duan Rong said, "The pills he refined could only slow the spread of the symptoms. Moreover, the first furnace exploded, and he used his own younger brother's blood to barely refine the second furnace. But he has no blood relatives left in the world, and there will absolutely never be another furnace of Blood Spring Pill."

Pan Yong's eyes flickered, and he said, "Since there will be no next batch of Blood Spring Pill, then if he leaves, where else could he go?"

Duan Rong's eyes flashed, but he pursed his lips and remained silent. He did not want to tell Pan Yong about the Filthy Blood Divine Art.

Pan Yong could tell that Duan Rong did not want to speak. His gaze suddenly sharpened; he finally understood why Duan Rong wanted to kill him. "Master Shang will not return, and we have all been infected with Insect Gu. Disciple wants to snatch my Insect Gu medicine pill to live a few more months. Then, you will try every possible way to seek a method to undo the Gu. Is that it, or not?"

Pan Yong suddenly flipped his left hand and gripped a porcelain bottle in his palm. "If Disciple makes another move, I will immediately crush this porcelain bottle."

Pan Yong stared fixedly at Duan Rong, True Qi surging within his left palm, ready at any moment to crush the porcelain bottle in his hand; inside that porcelain bottle was the Insect Gu medicine pill.

"If I say I haven't been infected with Insect Gu, Senior Brother, would you believe me?"

Pan Yong sneered and said nothing. Naturally, he did not believe it; in the crimson cave where the pills were refined, he had seen with his own eyes Duan Rong swallow the Insect Gu medicine pill.

Just at this moment, Duan Rong suddenly looked at Pan Yong with pity in his eyes, and then slashed at him with his blade.

Pan Yong felt a chill all over his body; the look in Duan Rong's eyes just now had stung him, and he had attacked directly without any hesitation. "Could it be... he really wasn't infected with the Insect Gu?! How is this possible?!"

The moment Duan Rong moved, Pan Yong crushed the Insect Gu medicine pill in his hand; under the surging True Qi, the porcelain bottle and the medicine pill were ground into powder, becoming a small cloud of black mist.

The two tangled together once again.

Duan Rong knew that if he did not use his Soul Technique, it would be difficult to take down Pan Yong.

He glanced at Pan Yong, whose Sword light was flickering before him, and said, "Senior Brother, when you get to the other side, give my regards to Yin Cong and Chen Hu. In the end, we are all fellow sufferers, merely puppets of Shang Xiangyu."

Pan Yong curled his lips and mocked with a sneer, "Disciple, you speak well, but I think you should be the one to give them those regards."

As Pan Yong spoke, he suddenly flipped his sleeve and caught the trigger of a cold iron box in one hand; it was clear he was about to raise his hand and press it toward Duan Rong.

The moment he grabbed that cold iron box, Duan Rong's Divine Sense had already swept over it; before Pan Yong could even raise his hand, the Soul Piercing Needle within Duan Rong's Divine Soul space shot out abruptly!

Divine Soul attacks are mysterious and unpredictable, and their speed is like an instant; the moment it is launched is the moment it strikes!

Just as Pan Yong's hand was about to be raised, his head suddenly felt a burst of explosive, intense pain!

He trembled all over as if his tendons had been pulled out, then clutched his head and screamed; the hidden weapon iron box and Soft Sword in his hands both fell to the ground.

But at this moment, Duan Rong had already slashed over with his blade, the killing move of the Ku Rong Ban Ruo Dao, with True Qi surging into it.

The moment Pan Yong clutched his head and screamed, Duan Rong decapitated him with a single strike.

Pan Yong's screams drifted through the cave along with his flying head...

The moment the screaming stopped, Pan Yong's consciousness no longer existed, and it was only then that the severed head fell onto the hammock netting...

Duan Rong held his blade and twitched his nose; he not only smelled the scent of blood, but also the heavy, foul stench of excrement and urine...

Duan Rong narrowed his eyes and looked; he saw that at the crotch of Pan Yong's headless corpse, which had fallen to the side, there was actually a wet patch.

"This..."

Pan Yong had been struck by the Soul Piercing Needle and had instantly lost control of his bowels and bladder.

A flash of astonishment crossed Duan Rong's eyes.

Duan Rong had anticipated that the power of this Soul Piercing Needle should be superior to the Divine Soul Wave, but he had not expected it to be this formidable.

It had actually pierced Pan Yong to the point of causing him to lose control of his bowels and bladder.

Although the process of condensing this Soul Piercing Needle was quite cumbersome, its power was so violent that it truly startled Duan Rong.

(End of chapter)