Chapter 656: Luring Her Out with Bait

"Men! Help them all up!"

"Yes!"

The servants hurried to act, lifting the three people on the ground back to their feet.

Liu Guiyan brushed the dust off Cheng Jing, tidied his hair, and helped him sit in the chair by the table.

Cheng Jing could not endure such rough handling, clutching the table as he gasped.

Liu Guiyan gently patted his back, then lifted her eyes and glared fiercely at Lu Wu.

Lu Wu showed no weakness, raising his head and giving her a cold stare.

The Masked Man looked at them, furrowing his brows, "Everyone, leave."

"Yes!"

The servants bowed and withdrew, closing the door.

The Masked Man sat down, "Master, please sit. You summoned me here—what business do you have?"

Lu Wu, angry, said, "Lord, this morning I had a severe headache, realized I had been affected by someone else's Dao, so I sent someone to invite you."

He glanced at Cheng Jing and Liu Guiyan, "I didn't expect they would come knocking on their own."

"Just now, she verbally admitted," he said, pointing at Liu Guiyan, "that she gave me some nonsense powder!"

"She also said that without her antidote, I'd suffer constant headaches like Cheng Jing every day!"

"Lord, I kindly gave the secret medicine to Cheng Jing, yet they repay me with such ingratitude!"

"You quickly issue an order, command her to give me the antidote!"

Liu Guiyan coldly replied, "Antidote? Fine. Trade it for Cheng Lang's medicine!"

Lu Wu slammed the table and stood, "You still dare to mention that?"

"Yesterday I sent someone to deliver the medicine to you."

"Clearly you lost it yourselves, yet you blame me, saying I sent Shadow Blade to steal it?"

He steadied himself, sat back in his chair, and looked at the Masked Man, "Lord, yesterday Shadow Blade just arrived in Jingcheng, and you saw them personally."

"I, in front of you, ordered them to obey your commands thereafter, and gave them the secret medicine they needed for this month."

"Shadow Blade left with you then; how could I have sent them to steal Cheng Jing's medicine?"

Cheng Jing at this moment also steadied, lifted his face upon hearing it, and looked at the Masked Man, "Really?"

The Masked Man nodded, "Indeed so."

Liu Guiyan snorted, "Master, Shadow Blade was created by you alone, and they obey you unquestioningly."

"Even if Lord took them away, with your skill you could summon one or two back for your use—would that be a difficulty?"

Lu Wu stared dumbfounded, "You! You spit false accusations!"

Liu Guiyan sneered, "What, did I hit the mark? Are you angry and embarrassed?"

Lu Wu, furious, saw his vision go black, his face flushed as he gasped heavily.

Liu Guiyan looked at Cheng Jing with deep concern, recalling that Lu Wu had just dared to strike her husband, wanting to tear him apart; she turned to the Masked Man, "Lord!"

"He just now said with his own mouth, thinking you were crossing the river and burning the bridge, poisoning him!"

Lu Wu only then realized that in his fury he had shouted everything he thought, but he hadn't expected this matter wasn't about Ding Zun Qian, and he flinched slightly.

The Masked Man gave him a sideways glance.

Liu Guiyan turned to Lu Wu, unrelenting, "Insulting us Central Plains people makes you no good, and what good are you, an Eastern Sea person?"

"You say we couldn't handle Princess Jiayou, so we invited you, and ended up making you look like this."

"Yes, we couldn't handle her, but aren't you also her defeated subordinate?"

"What top‑level yin‑yang master? To me it's nothing but a fraud!"

"The way you are now clearly shows you're outmatched!"

"Being made a mess of by a child, and you still have the nerve to speak?"

"Right! You are we invited, but you could have refused; no one forced you!"

"Isn't it because you yourself coveted the profit of ten cities?"

What a sharp tongue!

Lu Wu was left speechless, his blood boiling from Liu Guiyan's words, and a sudden sharp pain struck his head.

He clutched his head, "You you you! Give me the antidote!"

"Otherwise, don't even think of getting another of my secret medicines! You'll just wait for Cheng Lang's corpse!"

Liu Guiyan gritted her teeth, "If anything happens to Cheng Lang, do you believe I'll make your bones vanish?"

The Masked Man slapped the table, "Everyone be quiet!"

Only then did the two fall silent.

The Masked Man looked at Cheng Jing and Lu Wu; both were now in the same posture.

Elbows on the table, both hands covering their heads, thumbs constantly massaging their temples.

The only difference was that beside Cheng Jing stood Liu Guiyan, gently patting his back.

The Masked Man rested his hand on his forehead and closed his eyes.

After a moment, he opened his eyes and looked at Cheng Jing and Liu Guiyan, "Cheng Jing, you've been bedridden for days; I failed to inform you of Shadow Blade's situation in time—that's my fault."

Finishing, he turned to Lu Wu, "Master, Liu Guiyan is the poison master of the Black Medicine Sect; her heart belongs to her husband, and in a moment of urgency she spoke without restraint—please forgive her."

Liu Guiyan and Lu Wu exchanged a glance, simultaneously giving each other a rolling eye.

The Masked Man said, "Cheng Jing, after Shadow Blade left with me yesterday, none of them deserted, so your medicine definitely wasn't stolen by anyone the master sent."

He looked at Liu Guiyan, "Poison Master Liu, it was just a misunderstanding; please give the antidote to the master."

Antidote? Liu Guiyan felt a sudden pang, glanced at Cheng Jing, and said nothing.

Cheng Jing grasped his wife's hand under the table. He said calmly: "We have lived in seclusion in the market town, unknown to outsiders; thus we have wrongly blamed the Master, and I hope the Master will not hold it against us."

Lu Wu's anger eased considerably: "You wrongly blamed me, I also wrongly blamed the Top Venerable Sir, and we are even."

He glanced at Liu Guiyan: "However, Liu Duwang is truly poisonous."

"Forget it; as long as you give me the antidote, I'll consider this matter never happened."

Cheng Jing shook his head: "This morning, along with the lost secret medicine, the antidote for Nine Nether Powder was also lost."

Lu Wu suddenly stood up: "What?"

It's really become a complete mess!

Masked Man held his forehead, feeling his head also begin to ache: "Master, please sit first; stay calm and don't be restless."

Lu Wu glanced at him, then sat down slowly.

Cheng Jing told the truth: "The antidote was originally kept in Guiyan's sachet that she carried on her person; this morning we searched everywhere, but both the medicine and the sachet are missing."

"I thought the person who stole the medicine had accidentally taken it."

"Producing a new antidote will take about three months."

Lu Wu snapped: "Do you expect me to endure a headache for three months while you wait?"

Masked Man asked: "Master, how long does it take to prepare Cheng Jing's medicine? Perhaps we could send someone back to East Ocean to fetch it?"

Lu Wu snorted: "What I gave him yesterday was all there was."

"East Ocean also has none left; if you want it, you can only remake it."

"How long will it take?"

"More than three months."

Liu Guiyan suddenly became anxious: "What do you mean? Cheng Lang said three months, and you also say three months?"

Lu Wu spread his hands: "Indeed, that's the case; I can't do anything about it."

Liu Guiyan looked at Cheng Jing's pallid cheeks, tears welling up: "Sir! How can Cheng Lang's body endure three months?"

Masked Man said calmly: "I will send someone to the Nüzi Jian to summon Mo Zhanggeng."

"Using everyone in the Nüzi Jian as hostages, let him join you to preserve Cheng Jing's life."

Liu Guiyan nodded: "Good, I have long heard the great name of the Hand of Spring Return."

Lu Wu asked: "Sir, could you also invite this Hand of Spring Return to examine me?"

"Of course," the Masked Man sighed lightly, "Things have come to this, Liu Du Zhu, you and the Master had better quickly prepare the ingredients and concoct the antidote."

"After three months, you will exchange antidotes."

"However, Master, having suffered this injustice, those ten cities shall be my compensation to you."

"The day we exchange antidotes will be the time when those ten cities are handed over."

Lu Wu's anger completely subsided.

I originally came here for those ten cities; although my cultivation has greatly diminished, having those ten cities makes the trip worthwhile.

He nodded: "Good."

Cheng Jing endured his headache and asked: "If it wasn't the Master who did it, then who exactly took my sachet and medicine?"

Masked Man thought: "Princess Jiayou is the only one with the ability to find and take it."

Several people exchanged glances; Liu Guiyan said hatefully: "I will definitely kill her!"

Lu Wu remained silent.

Cheng Jing looked at the Masked Man: "Do you have any countermeasures?"

Masked Man said coldly: "Since we cannot find her with the Mother Gu, we will use bait to lure her out."

Several people said in unison: "Who?"

"Ninth Prince, Xiao Ran."