Chapter 231

Fang Yue's expression twisted strangely as the parchment suddenly interrupted him.

Fortunately, Wei Liang was still dazed and didn't notice Fang Yue's change in expression.

Only when Fang Yue called out to stop the carriage did Wei Liang bite her lower lip.

"What will it take for you to help me?"

"No… how can you not understand? Captain Fire and I are on good terms. Not to mention whether I could even beat her—just this relationship alone means I'd never kill her. I advise you to drop this idea, or else if Captain Fire dies, I'll suspect you first."

"You'd kill me for an NPC?"

"Hard to say, but I might drag you to Chief Captain Lang Wu to confess."

"... You're insane! Can't you tell the difference between the game and reality? I'm a player! You won't help me, but you'll help an NPC?"

Fang Yue shrugged.

This game isn't an ordinary game—relationships here still matter.

The carriage had already stopped; he pulled back the curtain and prepared to step down.

But Wei Liang lunged forward again, yanked the curtain shut, and blocked Fang Yue's path.

She stared at Fang Yue for a long moment before handing him a small bottle, palm-sized.

Fang Yue asked, puzzled.

"What's this?"

"... Antidote."

"Antidote?"

Fang Yue was baffled.

"Why would I need an antidote?"

"You're poisoned."

What?!

Fang Yue was stunned and immediately checked his status bar.

But aside from 【Ghost Curse 【Back of Hand】】, there was no poison status at all.

You're lying to me!

Fang Yue was about to speak when the system alert suddenly sounded.

"System Alert: You have entered 【Qi Cold Corpse Poison】 status."

"Status: Ghost Curse 【Back of Hand】, Qi Cold Corpse Poison."

"Name: Qi Cold Corpse Poison."

"Effect: Qi-cold yin wind, sealed within a corpse; after three months of fermentation, it becomes corpse poison. Collected and preserved, it can only be used after special preparation."

"Description: Qi Cold Corpse Poison is a terrifying toxin lethal to ordinary people. For powerful cultivators, its effect is limited, causing intermittent stabbing pain in the joints. Regardless of usage method, Qi Cold Corpse Poison emits a faint corpse stench, which can be masked with incense. After poisoning, the victim's sensitivity to this unique stench increases instantly by several times—even after leaving the toxic air, continuous poisoning is avoided."

"Note: Poisoned version of rheumatism and cold joints!"

Fang Yue:!!!

Damn it!

I really am poisoned!

Looking at the poison effect description, Fang Yue's expression shifted slightly.

But soon he felt it—he hadn't lost HP.

Only his joints ached slightly; the poisoning must be shallow and the effect weak.

But regardless, Fang Yue was poisoned!

With a darkening face, Fang Yue's voice grew icy: "Why am I poisoned? Did you set this up?"

At this distance, even in daylight, Fang Yue could kill Wei Liang instantly—but faced with Fang Yue's clear threat, Wei Liang remained calm and openly admitted it.

"I poisoned you. This bottle contains the antidote to 【Qi Cold Corpse Poison】. Take it, and you'll be fine."

I don't believe you!

Fang Yue's face darkened as he took the bottle but had no intention of taking the antidote—he'd wait until night to see if 【Night's Breath】 could cure the poison on its own.

Who knows what's in this bottle? Adding more poison would be a disaster.

He tucked the bottle away and said coldly.

"... What exactly are you trying to do? Poison me, then immediately give me the antidote—this antidote must be suspicious."

Wei Liang sighed.

"It's complicated to explain. Let me start from the beginning. I've already set poison on this carriage, but it wasn't meant for you—it was a demonstration. As I expected, we should've already reached an agreement, and now we'd be discussing how to kill Captain Fire."

"And killing Captain Fire hinges on this poison. I never imagined you'd kill a fully powered Captain Fire. With the right use of this specially purchased poison, killing her isn't as hard as you think."

"By experiencing the poison firsthand, you'll see my sincerity and strengthen our cooperation—I'm not just randomly thinking of killing Captain Fire; I'm actively executing a plan."

"You don't think Captain Fire and I, a mere refugee, suddenly became close friends just by coincidence, do you? I spent massive resources and great effort to establish this connection and lower her guard."

"Combined with this potent toxin, if just one strong ally cooperates, killing Captain Fire is virtually guaranteed!"

"Unfortunately, you didn't even give me a chance to explain the plan..."

Wei Liang sighed again: "We're both players. I truly don't understand why you'd choose Captain Fire over me. No matter how fun the game is, can it compare to real gold and silver? The people inside the game are intangible—yet in reality, if you're talented enough, I wouldn't mind getting to know you."

"Now that you know my plan—what do you say? Interested in cooperating? Together, we can carve out a real empire in Blue Sea. Don't you want to try?"

Honestly, Wei Liang's attitude was sincere—she'd laid bare her cards and intentions, both what should and shouldn't be said, somewhat resembling Lin Ling's style.

But...

Fang Yue shook his head slightly.

He still had no intention of partnering with Wei Liang.

Moreover, this potent poison had no HP-draining effect.

It only causes toxic damage to the body's joints, producing a stimulating pain that hinders the poisoned person's ability to perform.

This is still directed at myself; if applied to Captain Fire, the toxic stabbing sensation would be even weaker.

Clearly, Wei Liang also understood this poison couldn't kill someone of Captain Fire's level—at best, it would only weaken their power, which was why she sought help.

She still held some hope in Fang Yue.

"What I'm using on you now is only a small demonstration dose—I used minimal quantity, so the toxicity is naturally weak. When we actually fight, I'll increase the dosage and release all the poison at once; the real effect will be far stronger. If you help me, I have a seventy percent chance of taking down Captain Fire."

"... You don't need to waste your breath. I won't join your operation. I advise you to abandon this idea. This poison has little effect on me, so it'll have even less on Captain Fire. She's been Captain in Mo Cun for so long—her personal resources are far more than you imagine. Your poison might not even work."

That's right.

Fang Yue is broke, and with his 【Night Breath】 already, he naturally doesn't carry common antidotes or anything like that.

But someone like Captain Fire, holding high rank with wealth and power, how could she not carry some antidote pills on her?

Once she swallows a pill, all the toxicity is suppressed—its auxiliary effect is truly limited.

Only a poison like the 【Soul-Stealing Toxin Soup】 brewed by 【Shi Zhi Gui】 when Fang Yue first entered the game—that kind of terrifying poison—would truly give a solid chance of directly killing Captain Fire.

This ordinary poison like 【Qi Cold Corpse Poison】 in Wei Liang's hands? Forget it.

With a wave of his hand, Fang Yue left the carriage as Wei Liang stared in shock.

After confirming the direction, he walked toward Lang Fu.

Wei Liang, left inside the carriage, watched Fang Yue depart, clenching her fist tightly for a long while before slowly unclenching it and taking a deep breath.

"Lao Zhao, return to the mansion."

"Yes!"

The carriage resumed motion, turned around, and headed toward Wei Mansion.

Wei Liang had not abandoned her plan to kill Captain Fire; Fang Yue's appearance was merely an accident.

If Fang Yue joined, her plan's success rate could rise dramatically.

But without Fang Yue, she still had a thirty to forty percent chance of killing Captain Fire—just harder to execute, requiring more preparation.

"Yese Liming... an unpredictable factor. I'll wait until he leaves Mo Cun before I act."

Wei Liang sat in the carriage, propping her cheek, idly playing with Fire-Piercing Leaf, lost in thought.

Black Crow Merchant Group.

After Fang Yue had left in Wei Liang's carriage for some time, Hei Da and Hei Er finally emerged from the auction.

The moment they stepped out, a hand blocked their path.

"You two are awfully slow."

Captain Fire smiled, squinting.

"... Move aside."

"No can do. I have many questions I need to ask you both."

Hei Da fell silent.

His face, shrouded in black mist, stared calmly at Captain Fire.

Being stared at by that black-mist face, Captain Fire gradually felt a creeping unease.

That face seemed like a vortex, a black hole swallowing everything around it, making one feel utterly uncomfortable.

Only then did Hei Da deepen his tone: "... Move aside!"

Captain Fire frowned, about to press further, when the leader of the Black Crow Merchant Group—the young man who inherited the Black Crow title—stepped out smiling.

"Captain Fire, are you making trouble for our guests?"

Captain Fire immediately glared: "... None of your business. Once you leave the big tent, it's no longer your concern! That's the rule!"

"Oh oh! Don't get so angry. Once guests leave our Black Crow Merchant Group's tent, we're no longer responsible—that's the rule, and I understand it perfectly. But..."

Black Crow smiled, gesturing to the surroundings, then raised his voice.

"Captain Fire, right after the auction, you're publicly seizing our guests? Isn't that rather inappropriate?"

People nearby, already curious after the auction ended, had begun glancing over.

And guests from the auction were slowly exiting the Black Crow Merchant Group's big tent.

Seeing Captain Fire's aggressive interrogation of the black-robed men, they all looked with surprise.

Everyone knew that once you left the Black Crow Merchant Group's tent, they had no obligation to protect you—then, keeping your auction purchases would depend entirely on your own strength.

But everyone still had some dignity; they all moved in Mo Cun, seeing each other often. To directly rob someone right after the auction—wasn't that going too far?

Is there no law left?

Do you really think merchants are your dogs? Bought something, then get extorted?

Though none showed any emotion, their inner thoughts were stirring.

A Captain's authority is indeed boundless.

But a Captain rejected by everyone gains no support for any action.

Not to mention, Mo Cun isn't short of Captains. If Captain Fire's attempt to publicly seize or force-buy auction items were reported to Chief Captain Lang Wu, she'd suffer greatly.

All those piercing stares made Captain Fire deeply annoyed.

She glared at the onlookers, snorted, and coldly told Black Crow: "You'd better be grateful you have a powerful patron. Otherwise, someone like you would've been torn to shreds long ago."

Black Crow only smiled.

"Thank you, Captain Fire, for sparing my life."

"Hmph!"

Turning on her heel, Captain Fire vanished from sight quickly.

The auction attendees finally exhaled, each boarding their own carriages and leaving.

The Black Crow said to Hei Da and Hei Er: "Gentlemen, Captain Huo has already left. You may leave safely now—but I can only protect you this once. Captain Huo was right: beyond the big tent, the Black Crow Merchant Group has no authority to interfere in village affairs."

Hei Da said nothing, nodded to the Black Crow, and led Hei Er away.

At this moment, the sunset was slowly sinking below the horizon.

After the commotion, the Black Crow Merchant Group began packing their belongings; they would leave Mo Cun at dawn to proceed to the next village for commercial activities.

Meanwhile, Hei Da and Hei Er were walking outward.

But as they walked, Hei Da suddenly stopped, turned his head slightly backward, grabbed Hei Er's hand, and swiftly quickened his pace.

Once the two had gone far enough, a shadow emerged halfway from the corner.

The fiery red hair unmistakably belonged to Captain Huo.

"Something's off! These two are definitely suspicious!"

She chuckled softly and continued to stealthily follow behind them.

One ahead, two behind, the three began a contest of tracking and counter-tracking skills within Mo Cun.

Night slowly descended, and along the path, Human Soul Lamps lit up at intervals, providing light and warmth.

Captain Huo, trailing behind, grew increasingly puzzled.

Because she realized these two had not returned to any inn or resting place—they were simply circling Mo Cun, over and over again.

"Could I have been spotted? Impossible—I've mastered concealment so thoroughly that no one in Mo Cun, except Lang Wu and Wu Captain, could possibly detect me!"

"Unless… these two black-robed figures are also Second-rate Realm cultivators?"

Captain Huo found that impossible. A Second-rate Realm cultivator entering the village would have triggered immediate commotion and attention.

For example, when Fang Yue entered the village, his power immediately drew notice and triggered a full investigation.

But if they weren't Second-rate Realm cultivators, and didn't detect my tracking—then why were they circling? What was their purpose?

Lost in thought, Captain Huo looked up—and froze.

The two black-robed figures she had been following so closely had vanished without a trace!

"How is this possible!? They slipped away right under my nose!?"

There's still one more update today.

(End of Chapter)