Chapter 98: Poisonous Dark Scheme

Lin Xue didn't look up: "You really want to go?"

"Can't not go." Zhang Jun turned around, "This isn't just against me, it's against both of us. When Zhou Mu mentioned the pure yang physique, that greed in his eyes made me feel embarrassed for him."

Lin Xue didn't speak, her fingertip unconsciously touched her collar. That blue crystal, since returning from Spirit Mountain Temple, its temperature had been off; now it was cold as if it wanted to drill into the bone seams.

"Then let's go." Her voice had no inflection, "But we need to first figure out those three patients."

Mo Tianhe rubbed his beard: "Rest assured, I've had someone look into it; we should have news tonight. For these two days, don't go back to that small clinic, stay at my place. Outside isn't clean."

Zhang Jun nodded. That Liu the fat guy from Ever Auspicious isn't easy to deal with; behind him is Zhou Mu, and even that so-called "Blood Lineage", the clinic side is indeed unsafe.

——

Night deep.

The small pavilion in the Mo family's rear courtyard.

The moonlight was clear and cold, illuminating Lin Xue's side profile in sharp relief.

Zhang Jun approached silently and stood opposite her.

"Not asleep yet?"

Lin Xue shook her head: "It's too cold." She was referring to the crystal on her neck.

Zhang Jun didn't speak.

Mo Tianhe had mentioned at night, the "Blood Lineage" has been seeking the so-called yin-yang dual physique for decades; her profound yin qi and his pure yang power are exactly what they dream of.

"Zhou Mu jumped out at the press conference just for this." Lin Xue rubbed the icy crystal; under the moonlight it glowed faintly blue, "This match probably isn't that simple."

Zhang Jun stepped forward: "I've been wondering why it's specifically us two? That cave in Snow Mountain, that ghostly talisman, Kun…… and your stone. I feel everything is connected."

Lin Xue looked at him: "This stone can react with your aura; that in itself is off."

"So I have to go even more." Zhang Jun lowered his voice: "Those three patients definitely hide some nefarious scheme. Since Zhou Mu dares to push them out, there must be something fishy behind."

Lin Xue suddenly reached out, her icy fingertip touching Zhang Jun's wrist.

"Your pulse is off, faster than usual. That heat, can't you suppress it again?"

Zhang Jun didn't deny.

"Before the match, we must stabilize it. Otherwise losing control in front of so many people would play right into Zhou Mu's hands."

"Let me help you." Lin Xue took off the blue crystal from her neck and handed it over: "Hold it. I'll try using my profound yin qi to see if I can suppress it for you."

Zhang Jun took the crystal.

A bone-chilling cold seeped through his palm, colliding with the restless heat inside him; not only was there no conflict, it strangely neutralized, relaxing his tense body considerably.

Lin Xue hovered her hands over Zhang Jun's chest, her palms condensing a faint white frost.

The chill seeped in silently.

The two utterly different forces intertwined and pulled within his body, finally reaching a delicate balance.

Zhang Jun felt his whole body flow smoothly; the pure yang force no longer surged wildly, becoming gentle yet more substantial.

"This is……" He opened his eyes, somewhat surprised.

"Perhaps, it was meant to be this way." Lin Xue withdrew her hand, her voice soft.

——

Early the next morning, the Positive Yang Technology conference room.

Su Muqing pushed the door open and entered, her complexion not looking good.

"Doctor Zhang, I found it." She placed a stack of documents on the table: "The backgrounds of those three patients are deeply hidden, but it's certain they're all tied to the ancient martial world."

Zhang Jun took the documents and quickly flipped through.

"Is Zhou Mu planning to set a trap for me in the ancient martial circle?"

"Probably not just that." Su Muqing lowered her voice: "The first patient, supposedly, deviated in cultivation, his meridians completely ruined; the second, struck by a strange poison, his five viscera and six bowels are almost rotted away; the third is most bizarre—just said to be infected with 'evil qi', no one can specify the exact symptoms."

Lin Xue also leaned over to look at the materials: "The third one is likely related to the Blood Lineage."

"I think so too." Zhang Jun set the documents down: "Zhou Mu is using the ancient martial world's difficult maladies to test my depth."

Su Muqing was somewhat worried: "The match is set for the morning after tomorrow; Hundred Herbs Hall has already built up momentum, the Near Sea media have all been invited, under the banner of 'Peak Showdown of Traditional Medicine and Modern Technology'."

Zhang Jun twitched the corner of his mouth, no smile: "Just likes to play those empty formalities."

Lin Xue suddenly asked: "What's up with that Liu chief from Ever Auspicious lately?"

"He's been close to Zhou Mu." Su Muqing answered: "Our people saw that Liu chief went to the Hundred Herbs Hall headquarters the night before last."

Zhang Jun's face darkened: "Looks like this Liu chief also wants a piece of the pie."

Lin Xue walked to the window, watching the congested traffic below.

"I'll go check on that patient infected with 'evil qi'. You focus on preparing for the match."

Zhang Jun nodded: "Be careful, Zhou Mu's side is surely watching us too."

Lin Xue turned her head, her face expressionless: "Rest assured, my people have always been there."

——

Late night, an abandoned old house in the suburbs.

Lin Xue, like a shadow, silently merged into the night, scaling the high wall.

In the courtyard, a few black-clothed individuals patrolled warily, wearing strange metal wrist guards on their wrists.

She avoided all surveillance and sneaked into the main building.

At the end of the hallway, a faint dim light leaked from the crack of a door.

Lin Xue gently pushed the door open.

A strong medicinal smell mixed with a faint rotten odor assailed her nostrils.

On the bed lay a man, his complexion ashen, his chest weakly rising and falling, his breathing hoarse like a broken bellows.

What's even more shocking is that on his exposed chest, a dark red symbol flickers faintly—extremely similar to the one on the stone wall of the Snow Mountain cave, only its details are more intricate and bizarre!

Lin Xue's heart jumped; she was about to move closer for a look when a wave of cold killing intent suddenly surged from behind!

She jerked sideways to dodge, and almost simultaneously a black shadow lunged onto the spot where she had just stood.

"Not bad reflexes." A hoarse, unpleasant voice sounded in the darkness: "Profound Yin Physique, indeed living up to its reputation."

Lin Xue silently braced herself, gathering chill at her fingertips.

"Who are you?"

"Name doesn't matter." The black shadow slowly straightened, like a piece of burnt wood: "What matters is that you've been targeted. Zhou Mu is merely a pawn pushed to the front; the 'Blood Manual' is the true player."

Lin Xue surveyed her surroundings without changing expression.

"Is this patient an experiment of the 'Blood Manual'?"

The black shadow let out a sound like sandpaper rubbing, laughing: "Just a failed product. He was also a skilled practitioner of the ancient martial world, the first to receive the Blood Manual's 'gift'. Alas, his body wasn't strong enough; he couldn't withstand that power."

Lin Xue looked at the dying man on the bed—is this the third patient in the trial?