Chapter 42: The Poison Mastery Scripture! A Great Fortune!

“The Poison Mastery Scripture?!”

When Jiang Ye pulled his hand out from the chest of the headless corpse, a thin booklet now rested between his fingertips.

Three crooked characters were scrawled on the cover, messy in script yet radiating an eerie aura.

He flipped it open at random, glanced briefly under the moonlight, and sudden brilliance flashed in his aged eyes.

It was a secret manual detailing how to cultivate, tame, and control venomous insects.

From locating insect eggs, to feeding them, establishing a mental link, and commanding them to attack enemies—every detail was exhaustively covered.

“A treasure!”

Jiang Ye couldn’t help but whisper in admiration.

He had been hiding in the shadows and saw clearly—Black Fifth’s reversal in that life-or-death struggle was all thanks to that spider.

If he could cultivate a venomous insect like that, it would be another life-saving tool.

Why do these demons of the Seven Kill Sect always drop such good stuff!

“I’ll study this Poison Mastery Scripture in detail once I reach Fucheng.”

Jiang Ye carefully tucked the manual into his robe, then continued searching the headless corpse.

Soon, he pulled out a stack of silver notes.

After counting, it was roughly one hundred thousand taels.

“Looks like this beast didn’t hoard as much as his brothers—probably spent all his time chasing women.”

Jiang Ye shook his head slightly and stowed the hundred thousand taels away as well.

He now carried three hundred thousand taels—a substantial fortune.

But he knew well: this sum wouldn’t last long against the costs of the Golden Body Art and the Poison Mastery Scripture.

He patted the corpse once more, confirmed nothing was missed, then slowly rose to his feet.

Shhh!

Jiang Ye slashed again, cutting the headless corpse cleanly in half at the waist.

He turned to leave.

At that moment.

“L-Lord...”

“D-Don’t go...”

“P-Please...save my life...”

“I...I’m Wen Yueyao, a true disciple of Tianqing Sect, Tianyangfeng...”

“If Lord helps me...Yueyao will repay you tenfold...”

Faint, trembling whispers came from behind, broken and weak.

Jiang Ye turned back—the voice belonged to the young girl who had collapsed from poison.

Wen Yueyao had no other choice.

She had feared the old man might take advantage of her, but she’d been utterly mistaken.

She assumed he’d finish looting Black Fifth’s body and then come to save her.

But for some reason—perhaps he found it troublesome—he showed no intention of helping at all.

Wen Yueyao could already feel the poison wasn’t just paralyzing her body.

It was creeping into her internal organs; if the old man refused to help, she’d be dead soon.

All pride, caution, and dignity as a Tianqing Sect true disciple meant nothing before death.

So she summoned her last ounce of strength and spoke.

Facing the girl’s plea, Jiang Ye’s aged eyes flickered with hesitation.

He hadn’t intended to save her for two reasons.

First, she was poisoned beyond his knowledge—he had no antidote; intervening might only make things worse.

Second, human hearts are unpredictable—what if she turned out to be an ungrateful wretch?

“Young lady, I don’t know how to cure poison. I’m afraid I can’t help.”

Jiang Ye shook his head slightly.

“Lord... I have an antidote pill in my pouch—please fetch it... and feed it to me...”

Wen Yueyao’s voice trembled, weak and thin.

Every word cost her all her remaining strength.

“Oh? You have an antidote pill!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye paused, then stepped slowly toward Wen Yueyao.

This girl dared to chase down Seven Kill Sect demons alone—she couldn’t be evil.

More importantly, she promised a generous reward.

Hmm. That was worth considering.

In an instant, Jiang Ye made his decision—he’d help her.

He extended his withered right hand, fumbled briefly, and pulled out a fragrant embroidered pouch.

Inside were several vials of pills.

“Ah...”

Wen Yueyao’s pale face flushed crimson.

Her body was numb.

Yet...

That aged hand...

“Which vial is the antidote?”

Jiang Ye ignored the girl’s strange reaction, opened the vials one by one, and let her identify the correct one.

“Lord... the green pill is the antidote...”

Wen Yueyao whispered weakly, “Please... help me... swallow it...”

Jiang Ye acted swiftly, prying open her lips and pouring the pill into her mouth.

After swallowing, Wen Yueyao’s condition gradually improved.

Within half a cup of tea’s time, her numb limbs regained sensation.

“Thank you, Lord, for saving my life—Yueyao...”

Wen Yueyao rose to bow deeply to Jiang Ye.

Compared to Liu Yiyi’s coldness and Su Yan’s gentleness, her demeanor was sharper, carrying a touch of martial spirit.

“No, no—just a small favor.”

Jiang Ye waved his hand, urging her not to bow.

But Wen Yueyao insisted, bowing deeply before speaking: “Lord, my promise of a generous reward wasn’t empty—anything you ask, as long as it’s within my power, I’ll do it!”

Hearing this, Jiang Ye’s aged eyes softened with relief, and he murmured:

“Actually, I do have one request...”

“Though I’m not sure if it’s convenient for you, Miss Wen.”

Wen Yueyao laughed cheerfully: “Lord, speak freely!”

He paused, then spoke slowly:

“My greatest wish in life is to glimpse the Qi-Nourishing Method—to see if I might ever cultivate true qi and form a Golden Core!”

With his extraordinary talent, reaching the peak of Hua Jing was imminent.

Once there, he’d need the Qi-Nourishing Method to nurture true qi for the next step.

As a true disciple of Tianqing Sect, Wen Yueyao surely had access to it.

If he could obtain it through her, he’d save countless detours.

Upon hearing Jiang Ye wanted the Qi-Nourishing Method, Wen Yueyao froze, then frowned softly: “Lord, the Qi-Nourishing Method is a sect core—it cannot be passed on privately...”

As she spoke, she suddenly remembered something: “But I do have a way for you to obtain it!”

“What way?!”

Jiang Ye’s eyes lit up.

He’d nearly lost hope after her first words—now, with hope restored, his spirit surged.

“Lord... I don’t know your background...”

Wen Yueyao hesitated, then spoke.

Jiang Ye understood she was probing his origins; he replied calmly: “I’m a lone man, lived for decades in Anxi County. Now, with disaster striking, I fled the city to escape.”

“Lone man? Then it’s easy!”

Wen Yueyao exhaled in relief, smiling brightly: “Lord, you can join Tianqing Sect—then earn merit to exchange for the Qi-Nourishing Method!”

“Me? Join Tianqing Sect? Young lady, you’re joking.”

Jiang Ye shook his head in disbelief.

Major sects strictly limit disciple age—how could they take a seventy-year-old man?

“Hehe, Lord, you misunderstand!”

Wen Yueyao giggled, wincing slightly as her shoulder wound pulled, yet her smile remained warm and sincere: “I’m not asking you to join as a disciple.”

“You could become an administrator—say, the one who guards the herb garden.”

"The Medicine Old Man?!" Jiang Ye perked up.

This was perfect alignment!