Chapter 601: Entrusting an Orphan? No Need

The Jingui Martial Arts Hall had an oppressive and deathly silent atmosphere, as if it were a haunted house.

Dong, dong, dong—a knocking sound rang out; it was a long while before an Apprentice came to open the door. "Who is it?"

"Zhou You from Daqian Martial Arts Hall, here specifically to visit Hall Master Pei."

Upon hearing the name Zhou You, the door crack opened; the Apprentice inside took a glance, confirmed the identity, and happily opened the door.

"Hall Master Zhou, you've finally come; Master is in a bad mood."

Zhou You waved a hand. "Lead the way."

He noticed that the Apprentice was so gaunt from hunger that he walked with a light, floating gait; just after entering the Outer Courtyard, he saw rows of corpses covered in white cloth placed in the corners of the walls.

Many Apprentices were too weak from hunger to stand, leaning against pillars and steps, tearing at the calluses and dead skin on their palms to chew on.

Everywhere around were large vats for storing water, with a few live fish kept inside, swimming about while shaking their heads and wagging their tails.

The Apprentices only dared to drink water from the vats with live fish; once a fish turned belly-up, that vat of water was considered ruined.

The situation was not looking optimistic!

Before long, Zhou You saw Pei Li in the Inner Courtyard.

Not seen for many days, Pei Li had become much more haggard; his lips were dry and white, and the corners of his mouth were cracked—he was suffering from both a lack of water and internal heat!

"Hall Master Zhou, you've come at just the right time; I have something to ask of you."

Pei Li invited Zhou You to sit. "It's not convenient in the hall, so I won't offer you tea."

Zhou You smiled. "What is there to fear? If the water is boiled, surely I needn't fear him poisoning it."

"You don't know; my martial arts hall has been tormented into a poison den. Anything that enters the mouth is tainted with poison."

Pei Li mocked himself incessantly. "To tell you the truth, I haven't had a single grain of rice for three days and three nights."

As it turned out, in the current Jingui Martial Arts Hall, even drinking a mouthful of water was a life-threatening risk.

Wells and water vats were disaster zones where poison was everywhere; as for rice, flour, grain, or oil, they were ruined as soon as a single poisonous insect got mixed in.

The fruits and vegetables grown in their own fields were no good either, because those who practiced Poison Martial Arts would poison the dew.

What about killing chickens, ducks, pigs, or sheep to drink their blood and eat their meat? That wouldn't work either; the Myriad Poison Secret Workshop had mastered poison to an extreme degree. Poisonous insects lived as parasites inside the livestock in a symbiotic relationship; once the livestock was slaughtered and the insects died, their remains turned into a potent toxin that spread throughout the body, making the meat impossible to eat.

There were also mixed poisons, delayed-action poisons, and more, making them impossible to guard against.

Many people in the Jingui Martial Arts Hall had been poisoned to death, so they later learned their lesson: they stopped eating and only drank water, and even breathed with extreme caution, which at least warded off sneak attacks.

But seeing how everyone in the Inner and Outer Courtyards was so hungry they drifted when they walked, they wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

Any lackey of the Poison Martial Arts could easily sweep through the inside and outside of the hall, making the destruction of the sect an effortless task.

"... The reason they haven't made a move yet is likely because they intend to torture us."

Pei Li smiled bitterly and called over a youth. "Hall Master Zhou, you've come at just the right time. Although this Disciple of mine's talent cannot compare to your Disciple Qi Qingdi, he is still a one-in-a-thousand talent."

"I would like to ask you to take him in."

This was entrusting an orphan!

Zhou You recognized this youth; he was none other than Pei Li's most valued Disciple, Pei Baisi.

Pei Li's regard and cultivation of Pei Baisi were no less than Zhou You's for Qi Qingdi; he valued him even more than his own biological son.

Entrusting him to Zhou You now clearly meant he had concluded that the Jingui Martial Arts Hall was about to be destroyed and wanted to find a place for his Disciple.

In all fairness, Zhou You's Daqian Martial Arts Hall had connections with the Medicine King Sect, as well as the influence of Gu Lao and Yin Sanfen, giving him sufficient confidence to withstand this aggressive onslaught from Fu Manlun.

Therefore, when Pei Li saw Zhou You visiting, he immediately handed his Disciple Pei Baisi over to him.

"It hasn't reached that point yet!"

Zhou You advised. Pei Li waved his hand. "I am the one involved; how could I not know that we have reached the end of our rope? Hall Master Zhou, in a few days, you won't be able to see me when you come, at best you'll be able to collect my corpse."

"The Myriad Poison Secret Workshop truly has vast resources; they don't even need Du Taiyue to take action personally. A single Fu Manlun has forced me into a dead end, waiting for death behind closed doors. Hall Master Zhou, for the sake of our friendship, leave through the back door in a moment and take Baisi with you."

Seeing the sincere affection between the master and his Disciple, Zhou You shook his head. "Let's not talk about that yet."

When Pei Li heard this, his heart sank; the worst-case scenario had occurred: Zhou You was also unwilling to lend a hand.

Sure enough, reality was cold and cruel; no one would voluntarily invite disaster upon themselves. Who knew if Fu Manlun wouldn't use that as an excuse to attack?

"Forget it, Hall Master Zhou. It is already commendable that you came to see me at such a critical juncture."

"I dare not ask for too much; please..."

Clang—he could not continue, his words interrupted by Zhou You's action.

A cloth bundle reeking of blood landed on the tabletop; fresh blood spilled out, flowing along the lacquered surface and dripping onto the floor.

"Take a look at what good things I've brought you?"

Pei Baisi, standing to the side, quickly stepped forward and moved before his master to untie the cloth bundle; he was somewhat shocked to see a hideous human head.

"Why are you snatching, child? You need to change that impatient temper of yours!"

Pei Li pushed Pei Baisi aside, looked at the head on the table, and asked subconsciously, "A head! Whose is it?" "Fu Manlun's. I ran into him on the road here and killed him on the way to bring it to you."

Zhou You tapped his fingers lightly on the edge of the table. "By the way, send someone to take a look; there are still some of his lackeys' corpses at that location. It looks like a hideout."

"Master, I will take a few people to go look."

Pei Baisi volunteered.

Pei Li nodded. "Go, be careful."

He already believed what Zhou You said and concluded that the danger had passed; otherwise, he would not have allowed his Disciple to venture out.

After his Disciple left, Pei Li said sincerely to Zhou You, "Hall Master Zhou, you have given me a huge surprise!"

A moment later...

A staff member from the Thousand Faces Hall held up the bounty notice, checked the head repeatedly, and used a silver needle to draw tainted blood to test for poison.

Still not satisfied, he checked the density and texture of the muscles at the severed neck, as well as the limit of their contraction, and finally determined that this was the head of a high-level Martial Master. There were no traces of disguise on the face, and it belonged to the head of the inner disciples of the Myriad Poison Secret Workshop, Fu Manlun.

Corroborating evidence from the other side also arrived.

Pei Baisi rushed back with several martial arts hall disciples, his face full of excitement.

"Master, I followed the directions given by Pavilion Master Zhou and went to search; that place was originally a residence, the owner unknown, but now it has all become ruins. In the ruins, there were many corpses that had been tortured and slaughtered, as well as a large number of Poison Martial Arts practitioners' bodies."

Pei Baisi subconsciously glanced at Zhou You, his eyes full of awe and admiration, "Those Poison Martial Arts practitioners' bodies all died under the killing moves of the Tiger Fist; it must have been Pavilion Master Zhou who dealt the blows."

Clatter.

The sudden noise broke the atmosphere of the scene; it turned out that the person who came from the Thousand Faces Hall had lost focus, and the item in his hand had fallen to the ground.

This news was too incredible; Zhou You had wiped out a secret stronghold of the Myriad Poisons Secret Workshop and even killed Huo Manlun.

What did this mean? "Pavilion Master Zhou, please give instructions, can this matter be spread?"

The person who came from the Thousand Faces Hall asked respectfully.

This matter was of great importance; once exposed, Zhou You's strength would certainly be impossible to keep secret.

Zhou You did not care; he knew it could not be hidden, so he raised his hand, "No need to conceal it, say what there is to say, but do not exaggerate."

(End of this chapter)