Chapter 114

Buddhist hall, clear radiance.

Moonlight filled the sky, and blossoms of the strange Snow Cloud flowers bloomed in seclusion, a scene of cold, nether beauty.

Zi Hao walked slowly. When he reached the front of the hall, he tilted his eyes slightly, as if pausing to admire the wonderful posture of the spiritual flowers. Suddenly, he flicked his sleeves and turned, and a jade flute fell into his hand. The moonlight flowed out like water, and the cold, clear sound of the flute suddenly drifted and filled the four directions.

The melody flowed, and the white jade was gradually stained red with fresh blood, yet he seemed not to notice. Then, a miserable groan was heard from the hall, followed by the sound of something cracking. A flash of white clothes appeared under the moon, and Zi Hao appeared inside the hall. The flute sound circled endlessly like a hallucination. Opposite him, on the spiritual platform, a golden statue of an Arhat rattled, the cracks all over its body constantly expanding, until it suddenly exploded in all directions with a boom!

Mud and dust filled the sky. Zi Hao's palm wind shifted to the side, and amidst a buzzing sound, countless fine threads as thin as hair and rain were forced back by his palm power. Strands of faint blue, dense, strange light flickered and shuttled in mid-air, as eerie as demon spirits, enveloping the originally quiet night in a strange and gloomy atmosphere.

"You... you..." A figure appeared behind the silk threads, sitting cross-legged on the ground, their body trembling incessantly.

Zi Hao carried the jade flute on his back, his expression extremely cold, but a trace of gloomy melancholy floated in the depths of his eyes. "The Art of a Thousand Threads is originally one of the most beautiful martial arts in this world, yet it is ruined by you like this. If Zi Rao saw this, she would certainly not be pleased." Thousands of ghostly lights shuttled through the air, as if opening an endless, boundless web of silk. Countless poison-tempered blue rays converged toward his palm like flowing water, bit by bit, a thousand threads and ten thousand strands all turning clear and bright. After an instant, they scattered in all directions, like sleet drifting from under his sleeves into the void, finally disappearing into the depths of the moonlight.

Mysterious light flashed rapidly all around. Qi Shi, who was sitting on the ground circulating his energy, suddenly fell forward, spitting out two mouthfuls of blood. With a face devoid of color, he said, "Impossible, this is absolutely impossible! How can you not be affected by the Heart Gu and still be able to break my witchcraft?"

With the deadly poison entering his body, Zi Hao's complexion became even paler, but the luster in his eyes became increasingly grim. "Twenty years, and you are still overestimating your own abilities, without the slightest improvement. The Nine Nether Mysterious Penetrating Method governs the Witch Canon; mere Gu poison dares to try to contend with it."

Qi Shi had secretly planted a poison Gu while treating him earlier, originally wanting to use this to control the Eastern Emperor and make him obey his every command from then on. Tonight, taking advantage of his True Essence depletion to drive the evil arts, who would have thought that just as he was about to succeed, he would be countered by the power of the Mysterious Penetrating Method. Recalling the miserable state of the Imperial Domain before his death, he could not help but feel his heart and gallbladder chill, and he said with a trembling voice, "Even if it is the Nine Nether Mysterious Penetrating Method, it is impossible to resist the Heart Gu I put in your medicine. I used the Four Regions Strange Flower as a guide; it should have sealed your cultivation base long ago. If you hadn't taken the medicine, how could you suppress the deadly poison so easily as you are now... uh... ah..." As he spoke, his face suddenly became ferocious and terrifying, then suddenly satisfied with a smile, alternating between the two, and then suddenly dancing and gesticulating, the scene being extremely strange.

The backlash of the Witch Gu, with a heart like being stabbed by knives and a body like being burned by fire, was a hundred times more miserable than a normal onset. In just another moment, this world's number one witch doctor would lose all six senses and his sanity, becoming a living corpse at the mercy of others. Zi Hao watched coldly, his face showing no attempt to hide his disgust. Amidst a low cough, the jade flute entered his hand, and a strand of desolate, clear sound flowed leisurely, heartbreaking and moving.

Qi Shi's eyes suddenly froze, then his palm moved upward, slowly pressing toward his own crown point. However, a look of struggle appeared on half of his face, and strange flashes frequently appeared in his eyes, clearly struggling with all his might against the Nine Nether Mysterious Penetrating Method.

Zi Hao had always loathed this person. If it hadn't been for Zi Rao's plea that day, he would have already ordered Ying Nu to dispose of him. At this moment, there was even less reason to keep him. He closed his eyes slightly, just about to urge his heart method to take his life, when he suddenly heard him let out a strange, miserable laugh. "I know, I know! That girl actually used the Blood Shadow Lotus Transformation to pass the medicine for you, heart's blood, haha... heart's blood... Is she crazy? The poison Gu is ineffective against you, but it must be reflected on her... haha..."

Zi Hao's eyes changed suddenly, and he struck with a palm as he raised his sleeve. The flute sound stopped abruptly, and Qi Shi spat blood and fell outside the hall.

Without his jade flute to influence it, Qi Shi's poison Gu onset slowed slightly, and he struggled desperately, saying, "Heart's blood entered the medicine... If you kill me, she will surely die without a doubt..."

Zi Hao's cold and clear complexion appeared exceptionally icy and intimidating under the moonlight. "Are you threatening Me? It's a pity that Zi Rao can no longer plead for you."

Even though Qi Shi could hold on for a while, he could not stop the poison Gu from devouring his heart. His sanity gradually became insane, and he rolled on the ground, screaming, "Her consciousness is controlled, the poison Gu... uh... uh... I will perish together with you all! Even if people are dead, I can still save them... ah..."

These messy words suddenly made Zi Hao's expression shake. A thought flashed through his mind, and he raised his hand to shoot out finger wind, pointing at Qi Shi's vital points. The Mysterious Penetrating True Essence entered his body, temporarily blocking the momentum of the Gu poison. Qi Shi's eyes slowly regained clarity, but he just lay paralyzed on the ground, blood seeping from his seven orifices, looking very terrifying.

The moonlight was like gloom, spreading into the night.

The depths of the man's eyes before him were an endless, deep black, yet it seemed that something was surging and churning in that silent, lightless darkness. Behind his back, where no one could see, he gripped the jade flute tightly with one hand, his words exchanging ice and fire, "What did you just say?"

Qi Shi struggled and gasped, "The Heart Gu witchcraft steals souls and destroys spirits. She used her heart's blood to pass the medicine for you. The Four Regions Strange Flower constantly destroyed her True Essence and also transferred most of the consequences of the Gu art to her. When your Gu poison broke out, her mind and spirit would be devoured, and her seven spirits would scatter. Heh... if you see her now, she will be no different from a dead person. Now, although I cannot drive the Gu to control her, apart from me, no one can resolve the Gu poison on her."

Zi Hao did not know why he did not say a word. The night light was inexplicably gloomy, and no one could see what kind of expression he had, only that the sleeves hanging behind him were trembling slightly. Qi Shi knew that only the Nine Nether Mysterious Penetrating Method could restrain the backlash of the Gu poison, and fearing that he would turn hostile and heartless, cutting off his own life, he continued, "If you are willing to dispel the Gu poison for me, it is equivalent to saving that girl's life. Heart's blood to pass the medicine, she is willing to do this for you, can you bear to watch her go to her death?"

Zi Hao's eyes suddenly lifted, and his sharp gaze made Qi Shi's heart tremble, and he suddenly fell silent. Zi Hao stared at him coldly for a moment, then flicked his sleeve, and the bright True Essence of the Nine Nether Mysterious Penetrating Method broke through the air, trapping the poison Gu in Qi Shi's Qi Sea Point. Qi Shi's body twitched for a while, and although his meridians were sealed and his martial arts were disabled, his complexion showed signs of recovery. He sat up and chuckled twice, "The King is indeed different toward that girl."

Zi Hao had already flicked his sleeves and left. His footsteps paused slightly, and he said coldly, "Do not challenge My patience." With a clear whistle, he summoned Ying Nu and left without looking back.

Watching that clear and isolated back disappear into the depths of the moonlight, Qi Shi's complexion turned gloomy in an instant, and he said grimly, "Hmph! Do you know who that girl really is? If you don't kill me now, there will come a day when you regret it!"

Moonlight entered the room. Shan Qi, who was imprisoned in the backyard of the Buddhist temple, closed his eyes and concentrated, once again circulating his energy to impact the sealed acupoints. The two strands of True Essence colliding in his body caused spasmodic, excruciating pain, and cold sweat gradually dripped from his forehead.

The sound of the door suddenly came. Shan Qi hated it in his heart, but had to give up his efforts. Then he heard someone say to the Ying Nu hidden in the dark, "You go out for now. I am acting on the King's orders and have something to discuss with General Shan."

Two ghost-like figures appeared from the darkness, nodded to the visitor, and disappeared without a trace in an instant.

A burst of elegant fragrance appeared before him, accompanied by a snow-colored battle robe. Shan Qi looked up, snorted coldly, and lowered his eyes, but unexpectedly felt a slight numbness in his shoulder; the visitor had already unsealed his acupoints.

Shan Qi leaped up from the ground, "What is the meaning of this?"

Qie Lan smiled, "I just said I have something to talk to you about. If I kept your acupoints sealed, wouldn't it be awkward?"

Shan Qi looked at her and said, "Hmph, if you are here to be a lobbyist for the Eastern Emperor, Your Highness should spare it. Even if Shan Qi's skills are not as good as others, he can be killed but not humiliated!"

"Sigh," Qie Lan sighed softly, "Among the four generals of the Jun Mansion, Shan Qi ranks first and is also the most loyal to the Senior Brother. If others don't know this, how could I not? If I wanted to persuade you to betray the Jun Mansion, I wouldn't be the one coming today. Besides, does it really matter to the Di Du whether you surrender or not?"

Shan Qi was choked by these soft and hard words, "Since you are working against the Lord, you are an enemy of the entire Chu Guo. What is there for us to talk about?"

Qie Lan put down the food box in her hand and sat on the mat, "Do you think I want to be an enemy of the Senior Brother so much?" As she spoke, she took out a wine pot and handed it to him. Seeing his hesitation, she smiled, "Don't worry, there is no poison in the wine."

Shan Qi really couldn't figure out her purpose for coming here. He took the wine and frowned, "What exactly are you trying to do?"

Qie Lan flicked her fingers lightly and broke the seal of another pot of wine, "I'm here to let you go."

Shan Qi said in surprise, "You're letting me go?"

Qie Lan sipped her wine slowly, "That's right. I want you to return to the Chu Capital and relay a few things to the Senior Brother for me. First, the Di Du has already begun to mobilize troops to lift the siege of the Western Mountain, with an estimated force of about 30,000. Second, Han Xi is now at the Western Mountain Temple, and I will ensure her safety. Third, the Eastern Emperor's old illness has flared up again, and he is only relying on extraordinary means to maintain his support; he does not have much time left."

These things were more shocking than the last to Shan Qi, but looking at Qie Lan's calm appearance as she drank wine and her slightly clear and sharp eyes, a thought could not help but pop up, "Could it be... you want to turn around and help the Lord deal with the Di Du?"

Qie Lan tilted her head and smiled, "The myth that the Liefeng Cavalry has been undefeated for ten years is not so easy to break, and I would not like to see the survival of the Jiuyi Tribe risked. Moreover, if the Shufu gets the news, would he sit by and watch me turn against the Senior Brother? Why would I look for trouble for myself?"

Shan Qi sat opposite her, tilted his head and drank the wine in large gulps. Only when half the pot was finished did he turn to look at her, "I don't understand your current plan."

The moonlight shone obliquely on the mat, and Qie Lan's spotless white robe seemed to be immersed in half the shadows. As she sipped and drank slowly, there was not a ripple to be seen, "It's very simple. This time, the Jiuyi Tribe has completely gained the Eastern Emperor's trust and entered the core of the Di Du. Now that the Nine Princess is dead, the Di Du has lost its only heir to the throne. For the Eastern Emperor to ensure the inheritance of the royal family, a marriage alliance with the Jiuyi Tribe is imperative. In this way, in at most half a year, I will be able to completely control the Di Du. Why should the Senior Brother waste troops and generals and go to such great lengths?"

Hearing these words, Shan Qi was shocked, "A bitter-meat scheme! Your Highness truly has good means and good schemes, even deceiving the Lord. But I wonder what you intend to do now?"

Qie Lan raised her eyes and said two words, "Peace talks."

"Peace talks?"

Qie Lan said, "That's right. Han Xi is now in the hands of the Eastern Emperor, which is extremely unfavorable for the Senior Brother. But the Eastern Emperor is also very clear about the current predicament of the royal family, and being an enemy of the Chu Guo is of no benefit to him at all. I have already persuaded him to exchange Han Xi for the Nine Princess's remains and acknowledge the Senior Brother's position as regent. The Senior Brother's greatest opponent is the Xuan King, and with a decisive battle imminent, it is unwise to create another strong enemy. Moreover, the transfer of power in the Di Du should not be done with excessive methods, otherwise, it will cause chaos among the various states, and the loss will outweigh the gain. As for the peace talks, the Eastern Emperor will send an envoy to formally convey them, but I want you to go back first and remind the Senior Brother that in the shadow of the Western Mountain, by the side of the Yuan River, he must seize the opportunity to clear out the remnants of the Helian family as soon as possible, and do not give the Di Du any possibility of choice."

Shan Qi pondered, "Although you unsealed my acupoints, there are Ying Nu guarding everywhere outside. It will not be easy for me to leave this place."

Qie Lan smiled and raised the wine pot in her hand, "How could I come unprepared? Haven't you felt it yet? Although the wine you drank is not poisonous, it is mixed with the juice of the Naihe Grass of Detachment."

"You..." Shan Qi was just about to stand up when he felt the world spinning before his eyes. His body swayed, and he fell forward softly.

The wine pot fell to the ground with a clatter, and cold light splashed everywhere.

Qie Lan lowered her head, looked at him for a long time in the moonlight, sighed deeply, and got up to walk outside.

The moonlight flowed under her feet, each step as clear as could be.

In the hall ahead, a person stood alone under the moon, looking at the Buddha statue destroyed by the flames of war with his hands behind his back. Hearing the footsteps, he turned his head and smiled, "I have been waiting for Your Highness for a long time."

River waves rose and slapped against the hull of the ship.

The Yue Ma Gang's seat boat was different from the past, with secret posts set up everywhere, and the defense was strict. The lamp light flickered slightly. Ye Xuanshang withdrew his palm from Zi Rao's body, closed his eyes and pondered, his brows never relaxing.

Xue Zhan jumped to Zi Rao's side, leaned close to rub her cheek, licked it lightly, and let out a low whimper. Seeing Zi Rao's eyes tightly closed and her breath gone, it looked up at Ye Xuanshang again.

Bai Shu'er and Yin Xiyu were both silent. The former lowered her eyes somewhat lazily, her cheeks carrying a sickly pallor, clearly her blood and energy had not recovered, and the situation was not very optimistic. Yan Ling walked back and forth on the side, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Hey, what's going on? Is she just dead like this? No one is saying anything, at least come up with an idea."

Yin Xiyu looked into the depths of the lamp shadows, only to see Ye Xuanshang open his eyes, "I will take her back to Luofeng Mountain immediately."

Yan Ling widened his eyes, "Gasp! Are you going back to die? The Heavenly Sect and Tai Zi Yu are now singing from the same hymn sheet. If it weren't for the Sect Master's nod, Ye Xuanjian would not have appeared in the Chu Guo. If you go back like this, I'm afraid you'll be in danger before you even step into the Luofeng Mountain headquarters. Is there something wrong with your brain?"

Ye Xuanshang reached out to test Zi Rao's pulse again, but there was still no response, his tone containing hidden worry, "Zi Rao's situation is very tricky. At the moment, the vitality in her body is cut off and her True Essence is completely gone, but it is not because of heavy injuries. It seems that her meridians are sealed by some kind of strange True Essence. This True Essence has no origin and does not resemble any school of martial arts; it is more like a living thing. I have tried to circulate my energy to break through it several times, but each impact was absorbed by it, and it had no effect at all. If we don't find a way to break this confinement as soon as possible, then in at most seven days, she will truly be beyond medical help."

Yin Xiyu knitted her beautiful brows and said in surprise, "This situation, could it be Witch Gu?"

Ye Xuanshang said, "It is very likely. The Master knows a lot about Witch Gu and will definitely have a way to think of. As for the agreement between the Heavenly Sect and Tai Zi Yu, since I have returned to the country, I will have to face this sooner or later. Do you think I can hide from it?"

The last sentence was said to Yan Ling. Yan Ling rolled his eyes in annoyance and kept his mouth shut. Bai Shu'er, however, looked up and said, "The Young Master's words are reasonable. The Young Master's return to the country is also an inevitable trend. Let me first find a way to scout the path for the Young Master and determine the movements of the Heavenly Sect before we talk."

Ye Xuanshang said, "Your current situation is no more optimistic than Zi Rao's. Do not push yourself and act rashly."

Bai Shu'er curled her red lips, "It doesn't matter. With my cultivation, I won't lose my life. Besides, saving her is saving myself. I must accompany the Young Master on this trip to Luofeng Mountain. She cannot have an accident, and the Young Master even more so."

Ye Xuanshang pondered for a moment, then no longer opposed, turned around and said, "Gang Leader Yin."

Yin Xiyu heard the sound and understood the meaning, nodded slightly, "Allow me to make some arrangements. By tomorrow at the latest, I guarantee the Young Master will step onto the territory of the Mu Kingdom. As for the Eastern Emperor, I will also send someone to deliver a letter immediately. The safety of the Nine Princess is of great importance. For the trip to Luofeng Mountain, please let the Yue Ma Gang do its humble part."

(End of chapter)