Chapter 13

“What audacity! How arrogant!”

The red-faced giant roared in fury: “I’d like to see who dares act so boldly while the righteous martial world gathers here! Since he failed to poison these rats now, he’ll never poison them—my Four Seas Hall will keep them alive and see who dares wipe us out!”

The red-faced giant’s words rang with finality, but Master Tang Da said: “Old Huang, you’ve spoken too rashly!”

“I can’t cure this poison… go find someone else!” With that, he turned and left.

The red-faced giant ordered his men: “Go summon all the poison masters and divine physicians, and ask if Divine Physician Qi Qiuzi has arrived. Also, capture all these rats…” Then he walked toward Qian Chen, smiling warmly: “You’re the young brother who just identified the rats’ poisoning, aren’t you?”

“May I ask your name, young brother?”

The red-faced giant clapped Qian Chen affectionately on the shoulder; Qian Chen blushed and said: “I’m Qian Chen, a nobody.”

“Hah… You’re a nobody now, but you’ll surely become famous across the four seas. From today on, you’re no longer a nobody. How did you detect this poison?”

Qian Chen, seemingly unaware of the red-faced giant’s hidden suspicion, beamed: “I have a family medical tradition—I immediately sensed something wrong. This is the ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots’ from the ancient Bi-Lin Five Poison Sect. He put the poison on lice; the rats, itching more and more from being bitten, rub against each other, spreading the poison rapidly to all the rats.”

“These rats fled the Four Seas Hall driven by the poison. When ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots’ took effect, their fur fell out, and with it, the lice dropped off—erasing the trail of poisoning. Meanwhile, everyone focused only on the hairless rats and ignored the fur… that’s his real weapon.”

“His true goal was to poison everyone here with ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots.’ When he needs it, he can make any one of you go mad and kill!”

Hearing Qian Chen’s words, everyone at the Four Seas Hall entrance went frantic, tearing off their clothes and frantically searching their bodies for lice, pulling at their hair.

In an instant, the entrance to the Four Seas Hall became a sea of yellow, white, and black skin and flesh; the people of Linhai City stared in shock as the famed Four Seas Hall’s entrance turned into a scene where everyone, as if on fire, stripped themselves bare like naked pigs.

The red-faced giant’s face darkened; he gritted his teeth against the phantom itch and grew even more impressed with Qian Chen.

But Qian Chen frowned in confusion: “Why are they taking off their clothes?”

“Because they fear poisoning!” the red-faced giant cursed inwardly: “I’m scared too! Damn it, why did I have to care about face? Can’t move…”

Qian Chen seemed to snap back to himself, then exclaimed: “Oh! When I realized the poison was ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots,’ I understood everything—I’d already applied insecticide to the fur, cutting off the transmission of ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots.’” Hearing this, everyone sighed in relief; someone shouted: “What the hell! Why didn’t you say that sooner!”

The red-faced giant barked: “Enough! How dare you speak to your savior like that!” He bowed to Qian Chen: “Thank you, young brother—you’ve saved us all.”

“When exactly did you apply the insecticide? I didn’t notice a thing.”

“I don’t carry insecticide on me!” Qian Chen laughed. “I just borrowed the poisoner’s own poison—he used insect-killing toxins to kill all those flies and bugs. But this insecticide can’t kill lice. So I added one ingredient: a medicinal fragrance. With this fragrance, the lice can’t resist the insecticide, and so they die too.”

Qian Chen unfastened a fragrant pouch from his waist and handed it to the red-faced giant: “I used this medicinal fragrance to activate the insecticide’s toxicity—so wherever I go, lice die instantly.”

“When I walked into the rat group just now, I completed the antidote process.”

The red-faced giant sniffed the pouch—indeed, a rich medicinal fragrance filled the air. He kept his guard up, casually tucked the pouch away, and said to Qian Chen: “Young brother, you’re truly a honored guest of our Four Seas Hall—please, come inside…”

The red-faced giant personally escorted Qian Chen into the hall, treating him with the utmost courtesy. Qian Chen feigned helplessness, overwhelmed by the generosity, his face flushed with awkwardness. The red-faced giant laughed heartily: “Today, you’re our honored guest. If anyone dares slight you, tell me—I’ll flay them alive… Young brother, do you have any way to cure this ‘Cut the Grass, Remove the Roots’ poison and preserve our Four Seas Hall’s honor?”

“If you can save my face, I’ll repay you handsomely!”

“I’ve read a few prescriptions in my family’s medical texts—if the herbs are available, I can try,” Qian Chen muttered, blushing.

After introductions, Qian Chen learned the red-faced giant’s name was Huang Yu—master of the East Sea Hall, one of the four halls of the Four Seas Hall, and also Hong Sihai’s chief steward, overseeing all internal affairs of the main hall.

In the martial world, he held high rank and power, though he rarely fought, so his true cultivation level remained unknown.

Entering the Four Seas Hall, Qian Chen finally understood what “solemn grandeur” meant—countless visible and hidden sentries guarded the hall so tightly not even water could seep through. Because of the recent incident, everyone was on high alert, their aura bristling with lethal intent. Huang Yu led Qian Chen through the inner hall, down a corridor, to a side pavilion.

“This side pavilion stores our herbs. Though not the official vault, it holds a full range of medicinal materials.”

“Young brother, take a look—what herbs are missing?”

Qian Chen pushed open the door and was stunned by the Four Seas Hall’s opulence—the pavilion was lined with paulownia shelves, piled high with priceless herbs as if worthless. He even caught a faint musty odor from poor storage. Like a mad herbalist, he rushed forward, flipping through the boxes holding the precious medicines.

This is overseas-grown dragon's blood resin!

Here’s dragon brain and lin zhi… Why is this jade fu-ling spoiled!

“Young brother, feel free to choose any herbs you need,” Huang Yu smiled. Qian Chen took no hesitation, snatching up precious herbs, then requesting a hairless rat. Soon, he prepared a decoction; after forcing it down, the rat kicked its legs and died. Huang Yu laughed heartily, unbothered, and offered even more precious herbs.

After three failed attempts, Qian Chen finally brewed a decoction. When given to the rat, though weak and gasping, it stubbornly survived.