Chapter 12: Chapter Twelve: Not a Chicken or Dog Left Alive

In the cold wind, Qian Chen hunched his shoulders, like a dejected quail.

One of Liang Dou’s disciples stepped out, glanced at Qian Chen’s appearance, grinned, and walked casually through the gate.

“I am Bai Yuanliang of the Iron Fist of Guanxi, and these are my two apprentices…” A plain-dressed middle-aged man beamed, bowing deeply to the disciples of Sihai Hall outside the side gate; behind him, two disciples—one dull, one vacant—looked more like country farmers than martial artists. The disciple impatiently flipped through his roster.

“You’re listed here… come inside!” He opened the side gate and let Bai Yuanliang and his two apprentices enter.

Once inside, someone naturally led them to be accommodated…

“Even entering the side gate requires status!” Qian Chen rubbed the ground with his foot, head bowed—he had no status at all. Should he… pretend to be the famed physician Qi Qiuzi?

“No, no. Though I have the real Qi Qiuzi in hand, such a renowned identity, with every move watched by many, is hard to fake. Moreover, the Dragon Head knows the true identities of all Twelve Yuan Chen. The one most likely to uncover my disguise as the Mist-riding Divine Lord is that mysterious Dragon Head.”

“But the Dragon Head must also be secretly monitoring the real identities of the Twelve Yuan Chen. If so, my disguise as Qi Qiuzi stands an infinite chance of being exposed.”

Qian Chen weighed the pros and cons carefully. Right now, the fastest way to gain fame and be invited into Sihai Hall was to pick a fight on the street with some well-known martial hero, defeat him with superior martial skill, and let word spread naturally.

This was the quickest, most common method for an unknown martial artist with no patrons.

Every year, many senior masters were challenged and humiliated by upstarts. Thus, one generation replaced another—that was the martial world!

But Qian Chen didn’t want to do this… He needed to prepare a cleaner identity for his next moves.

“Moreover, during this surprise attack on Sihai Hall, each of the Twelve Yuan Chen must present a ‘greeting gift’ to reinforce the image of their cruelty and terror, laying groundwork for the coming scheme. The Mist-riding Divine Lord’s greeting gift? Poisoning several famous masters today—and poisoning every cat, dog, cow, and horse in Sihai Hall—to create an atmosphere of ‘no chicken or dog left alive.’”

“Of course, I can’t do this now. But if the Mist-riding Divine Lord doesn’t act, it might arouse suspicion from the other Yuan Chen, harming my future disguise as him.”

Qian Chen’s thoughts whirled rapidly, and he quickly devised a plan.

He smirked slyly, muttering inwardly: “Sorry, little ones!”

He immediately acted, following the method…

Outside Sihai Hall’s gate, people came and went, still bustling. Though noisy, the scene held an underlying solemnity; the main hall’s atmosphere was stern, its guards tightly stationed. Visitors were of high status and strong power, yet countless ordinary folk also thronged—yet all moved in orderly fashion, showing no flaw. That was why the Twelve Yuan Chen had prepared a ‘greeting gift’—to create chaos and shatter this order.

This moment of peace and calm was shattered by a sudden scream…

Though startled, Sihai Hall’s guards moved with discipline toward the scream’s source. Soon, a chorus of female shrieks erupted one after another. The disciples responsible for security rushed into action, and guests at the gate turned to stare.

They immediately saw a sight they had never witnessed before…

Countless gray-furred rats surged forward in unison, pouring from every corner of Sihai Hall, converging into a writhing gray tide that rushed toward the main gate. The sudden swarm threw the crowd into chaos; many stood dumbfounded. The rats were fat and bloated—how much of Sihai Hall’s fine food had they devoured to grow so large?

The gate guards were about to kill them ruthlessly, trampling them underfoot.

But a red-faced giant who had just stepped out shouted: “Today is the Sect Master’s joyous day! Do you want corpses littering the main gate?”

He then channeled his true qi and roared: “Master Hong Sihai’s longevity spans a thousand autumns, his might shakes the four directions! Rodents flee!”

A deep, resonant hum filled the air, drowning out the guests’ murmurs, revealing his formidable internal energy.

Soon, someone eager to flatter chimed in: “Indeed! Master Hong has spent his life upholding justice, striking terror into rodents, quelling the Demon Cult’s rebellion and crushing bandit plots. Today, on his thousand-year birthday, the rats fleeing before Sihai Hall’s gate is a sign of auspiciousness!”

All martial artists and guests echoed: “Yes! An auspicious sign!”

“The rats fleeing—doesn’t it mirror the Demon Cult’s dissolution and its remnants scattering?”

Everyone forced smiles, but the red-faced giant’s eyes held no mirth. He subtly scanned the guests, as if searching for the saboteur.

Then came an even more absurd event: the rat swarm pouring outside, each gray fur-ball writhing, suddenly shed its hair. Countless gray hairs flew through the air—the fat rats had all molted completely, revealing white, hairless skin. Dozens of white-skinned rats huddled together, the scene so absurd it provoked laughter.

This unprecedented spectacle left everyone stunned, unsure how to revise their praise.

Not just rats—flies and bugs inside Sihai Hall also flew out en masse. As soon as they exited the courtyard, they dropped dead to the ground, their corpses carpeting the ground outside the hall.

“Poison!” Qian Chen walked into the rat swarm, unflinching, picked up a fat rat, examined it closely, and declared: “Someone has poisoned them—forced these rats and insects to flee, then triggered the poison, causing the rats to shed their fur and the insects to die. This poison has only just activated. When it strikes again, these rats will frenzy-attack every living thing they see, until they collapse and die!”

Tang Da, the most outstanding young master of the Tang Clan, stepped out from within Sihai Hall and joined the rat swarm to inspect closely.

He nodded in agreement: “Indeed, someone has poisoned them.”

The red-faced giant approached Tang Da and whispered: “Master Tang, today is the Sect Master’s birthday—this incident is beyond my capacity to handle! Please lend your aid…”

Tang Da frowned and shook his head: “I cannot cure this poison.”

“He poisoned every rat and insect in Sihai Hall—he can poison everyone here. This man is likely the most ruthless poison master alive.” Tang Da’s face darkened: “He killed every insect, then every rat—this molting of the rats? He’s taunting you.”

“He wants Sihai Hall to leave not a blade of grass, not a chicken or dog alive!”