Everything is ready
Shi Xin lingered outside the cell where Mu Qing and Wen Zheng were imprisoned for a long time, his eyes scanning the two with suspicion.
He vaguely remembered that when they were brought in, they weren't placed like this.
After waiting in the shadows for a while, there was still no movement from the people in the cell. Shi Xin thought he had misremembered and turned to go to the cell where the other people were being held.
Long after he left, Wen Zheng slowly sidled up to Mu Qing, her shoulder close to his, and whispered, "Has he left?"
"I'm gone." Mu Qing kept her eyes closed and remained lying there without moving.
Wen Zheng nudged him with her elbow and said, "Do you know who's coming?"
She was very curious about who would come to an unattended dungeon.
"Shi Xin." After uttering those two words, Mu Qing squeezed Wen Zheng's hand to remind her, "Don't speak, he hasn't left yet."
Wen Zheng promptly pinched it back and replied, "I know."
The scorching fingertips pressed against the back of his hand, and Mu Qing's body, which was usually kept at a low temperature, felt as if it had come into contact with a burning campfire, making him extremely uncomfortable.
But he didn't want to give up at this time. He had to report Shi Xin's situation to Wen Zheng. How would he report if he let go?
Shi Xin took the key and opened one of the cells. Inside were inner disciples of major sects. Countless people had been lost trying to trick these few people out.
These people, including both men and women, looked dazed and clearly hadn't yet recovered from the effects of the Soul-Separating Powder.
Shi Xin pinched one of the people's wrists to examine their bones. After a moment, he put the wrist down with a grim expression and turned to examine the other person.
After examining each of these people's bones one by one, Shi Xin's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
His physical constitution was far inferior to these people, and many of them had already entered the Nascent Soul stage, and they were all very young, in their teens or twenties.
Shi Xin felt a moment of defeat; perhaps he really was, as the Venerable One had said, a complete waste.
He dejectedly left the cell and locked the door. Even as he locked it, he was still unwilling to accept it. It was such a waste that such good physical and spiritual talent could not be integrated into his body.
It would be better to leave these people barely alive and force the Venerable One to help him fuse their innate essence.
A wicked thought arose in Shi Xin's mind. The key he was about to pull out was still in the lock. A sword appeared in his hanging hand. The sword's light reflected off the candlelight, and the reflected light flashed across the faces of the group, as if he were choosing suitable prey.
His hand holding the sword trembled, and the sword light flashed back and forth on the group of people. In the end, Shi Xin put away his sword.
These are the "goods" that His Majesty specifically requested. If they are damaged in the slightest, even if he dies, he cannot afford to compensate for it.
Moreover, in the Venerable One's heart, he was already a useless piece of trash. Shi Xin could still distinguish between a batch of good "goods" and a piece of trash.
Shi Xin took back the key and turned to leave. He didn't see that the others breathed a sigh of relief after he left.
After he walked away, the eldest member of the group asked, "Whose medicine has been neutralized?"
The others shook their heads in unison: "There's no solution. We can't even stand up."
No one knows what kind of poison the Longevity Sect gave them, but almost a month has passed and they still haven't been cured, and they can't use their spiritual power at all.
The older one was disheartened but didn't want others to worry, so he encouraged them, saying, "It's okay, my master loves me the most. He'll definitely find me if I go missing."
"Yes, I believe you."
"My master is too."
"..."
That's what they say, but they've been locked up for a month. If they were going to come, they would have come long ago. The fact that they haven't shown up now means they've probably been abandoned.
Not far from them, Mu Qing and Wen Zheng sat up. Wen Zheng pulled her hand away from his and rubbed her cold hand uncomfortably: "Don't squeeze my hand next time, it's too cold."
It felt as cold as if I had been dead for three days.
“…Okay, I understand.” Mu Qing withdrew her hand, her clenched fist turning slightly white.
He had been practicing swordsmanship on Aoxue Peak for many years, and his body had long since become icy cold from the wind and snow. It seemed he would have to think of a way to avoid being disliked.
After Wen Zheng finished speaking, she lowered her head and fiddled with the materials for alchemy. She squinted and carefully examined the herbs in her hand, seemingly unsure of their quality, and even wanted to break off a piece to taste.
Mu Qing quickly intervened to stop her: "This is Five-Red Grass, slightly poisonous."
Wen Zheng stopped stuffing the herbs into her mouth, looked up and asked, "Aren't these ingredients for the antidote pill?"
Isn't the antidote pill for detoxification?
Why are there still poisonous herbs?
Mu Qing took the herbs from her and put them into the alchemy furnace: "The mild toxicity can help people detoxify faster."
After saying that, he pointed and gestured for Wen Zheng to hand her another herb.
Wen Zheng had never studied pharmacology and knew nothing about alchemy, so she assisted Mu Qing, learning as she watched him refine pills.
Zhuxian Sect.
After receiving Mu Qing's message, the sect leader summoned several peak masters, showed them the message, and asked, "What do you think?"
Mu Qing had already told him everything when she sent the message, and he immediately thought of the person who had dug out Mu Qing's sword bone back then.
The fact that they've managed to hide it so well for so many years is enough to prove that the problem lies with the Immortal Sect. If there really is an inside agent of this mysterious organization within the Immortal Sect, things are probably more complicated than they imagine.
"It's hard to say. If this gets out, the immortal sects might not care." As the second-in-command of the Immortal Pursuit Sect, Elder Jianfeng could see the key issue at a glance.
Mu Qing also said that this was not the first time the Changsheng Sect had done such a thing, and the fact that they hadn't been reported for so long meant that someone must be protecting them.
“Then let’s make a big scene, just like Mu Qing said,” Elder Yun Ge said.
She keenly sensed that this matter was related to the death of Qingling Daoren, or rather, that Qingling Daoren was killed by the Changsheng Sect and the mysterious organization because he discovered this matter.
"We're afraid it won't be enough to rely on ourselves alone," the sect leader said.
He also wanted to make a big fuss, but how could he bypass the influence of the immortal sects?
The three fell silent, and the atmosphere quieted down. After a long while, Elder Jianfeng raised his head slightly and said, "I remember there was a Demon Lord's corpse buried on the back mountain of Aoxue Peak."
Sect Leader: "Are you going to use this to your advantage?"
Elder Jianfeng: "No way?"
Elder Yun Ge: "I think it's a good idea."
Mu Qing had secretly brought back this demon lord's corpse to show Qingling Daoist, but she never expected it would come in handy at this moment.
"Then I'll dig it up tonight and throw it into the Changsheng Sect's dungeon." Elder Jianfeng got up to dig up the corpse, but was pulled back by the sect leader.
“You’re all too young and careless. I have a demon weapon here; take it and show it off to other sects.” The sect leader took out the key to his storeroom, his expression completely unaffected.
After a moment of silence, Elder Jianfeng picked up the key, nodded, and said, "I understand." Then he got up and left.
Elder Yun Ge saw that the sect leader had dealt with the matter more or less, and she got up to leave, but the sect leader stopped her: "Don't go yet. If you're going to make trouble, make it big. Go and prepare some demon poison, and I'll poison it."
Elder Yun Ge looked at him sharply, uncertainly asking, "Are you going to poison people from other sects? Aren't you afraid of making a big fuss?"
"I just want things to get bigger, so that everyone in the immortal sects feels threatened," the sect leader said.
Only in this way can we catch the spies hiding in the immortal sect.
Elder Yun Ge understood his meaning, sighed, and said, "I'll have my junior brother accompany you. Come back later to get the medicine." After saying that, she left without looking back.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Shi Xin suffered immensely during these three days. He already knew that Xu Ximing would not take him to see the Venerable One, but he had no choice but to pretend to be expectant and ask Xu Ximing every day until Xu Ximing became impatient and stopped asking.
Today is finally the day Xu Ximing delivers the "goods" to the Venerable One. He has already decided that if Xu Ximing doesn't take him along, he can simply sneak off with him.
If he could meet the Venerable One smoothly, that would be best. If not, he would try to learn from the Venerable One how to integrate his roots and meridians to transform himself.
Once he learns it, he can secretly change it for himself. Wouldn't that be wonderful?
Therefore, when Xu Ximing told him to his face that he would not take him to see the Venerable One, he was not unhappy at all, and said calmly, "Okay, Sect Leader, be careful on your way."
Xu Ximing was surprised not to receive Shi Xin's questioning. He frowned and asked, "You don't resent me?"
Shi Xin shook his head: "Whether or not you can take me is still His Majesty's decision, how can you disobey it?"
Xu Ximing nodded upon hearing this and praised him, "You've finally listened to me. Work hard for His Excellency, and he won't treat you unfairly."
"Okay," Shi Xin replied and left.
While marveling at Shi Xin's sudden change, Xu Ximing worried that it might be a facade. Shi Xin was very cunning; his previous eagerness to see the Venerable One, followed by this attitude after being rejected, was highly suspicious.
He thought for a long time, then summoned the disciple who had been keeping an eye on Shi Xin. Upon learning that Shi Xin had gone to the dungeon, his expression changed.
Only he and Li Ruyue had the key to the dungeon. After Li Ruyue went to the demon clan, he gave one to Shi Xin so that he could lock up the disciples he had captured. He forgot about it afterwards, but he never expected that Shi Xin would dare to lay a hand on those people.
Did he know that those people were people the Emperor wanted, and that even if Shi Xin were skinned alive, it wouldn't be enough to compensate for just one of them?
Worried that Shi Xin might actually harm those people in the dungeon, Xu Ximing quickly sent someone to check the dungeon. After confirming that everyone was safe, he summoned another elder.
He needed to get rid of Shi Xin before delivering the "goods".
The best way is to turn him into a dead person, since dead people don't have so many ulterior motives.
Both sides had a good plan and were just waiting for nightfall to begin their operation.
Meanwhile, a major event occurred in various sects: remnants of the demon race attacked and poisoned more than a dozen sects of all sizes.
Although this poison won't kill you, it can cause physical discomfort, vomiting, and diarrhea, and these symptoms can last for more than a month.
The leaders and elders of the various sects were furious and vowed to find the demon spies who had infiltrated the immortal sects and avenge their disciples.
Following the trails left by the remnants of the demon race, they rushed towards the location of the Gate of Immortality.
The sect leader of the Zhuxian Sect and Elder Jianfeng mingled among them with their disciples. The sect leader administered the poison, and fearing it wouldn't be enough, he added three times the usual amount. Elder Jianfeng also buried the demon general's corpse under the sacred tree of the Changsheng Sect, waiting for the immortal sect members to discover it.
The two exchanged a smile in the group, knowing they could only watch the big show that night.
Inside the dungeon, Wen Zheng and Mu Qing began distributing a large bag of antidote pills to everyone in the dungeon.
Tonight we have a fierce battle to fight. They are the main force exposing the evils of the Changsheng Sect, and we must wake up.
When Mu Qing kicked open the first cell door, everyone inside sat frozen, only their eyes able to move. Upon seeing that it was Mu Qing, one of the more fragile ones burst into tears.
"Immortal Master Mu, what are you doing here?"
Mu Qing took out an antidote pill and fed it to the group, saying as she did so, "I discovered something amiss with the Longevity Sect, so I came to investigate."
He took seven or eight pills in a row, and only one disciple with higher cultivation was able to stand up. The others moved slowly, and they had difficulty even taking two steps, let alone running out.
A disciple who slowly stood up, leaning against the wall, said, "I don't know what kind of poison this is, its effects are so strong."
Mu Qing was busy feeding the others antidote pills and didn't answer. Wen Zheng walked over carrying a bag of antidote pills and said, "I think it's called something like Soul Separation Powder. Has any of you heard of it?"
The disciples present all shook their heads, their faces full of confusion.
Only one disciple, lying in the corner, shakily raised his hand and said, "I...I've heard of it. It seems to be a famous poison from a thousand years ago."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
