If the Poison Sect hadn’t been eliminated and its direct bloodline descendants still lived, then Han Yunxi’s group wouldn’t be having any problems now. The Snow Wolf Clan would never expose their secrets to the world, but they lost a lot of rights after uniting with Medical City’s Poison Sect. Whether it was the Poison Pill or Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion, both were exposed after they starting working together with Medical City’s Poison Sect. After learning of their history, Han Yunxi was certain that the Medical City’s poison doctors paled in skills compared to their Snow Wolf Clan counterparts.
In other words, if the Snow Wolf Clan had the drive to research the Poison Pill and Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion, they wouldn’t need to wait for an alliance to begin their work. Why did those two items come into being only after the merge? Simple: the Snow Wolf Clan had no ambitions and only wanted to live on quietly while protecting the poison beasts. But the Poison Sect did not!
The saying went that there was no waves without wind. Medical City had decided to destroy the Poison Sect because of their research into Poison Gu humans. By now, this couldn’t count as slander. However, the fact remained that the Poison Sect hadn’t made any use of the formula they created, either.
“Since they had the formula, why not use it?” Gu Beiyue muttered to himself. “Unless they couldn’t find the ingredients, or…”
“They were waiting for the fruit inside the color glazed wall to ripen!” Gu Qishao exclaimed.
Abruptly, everyone understood a lot more details. Han Yunxi was convinced. “Thus, Bai Yanqing must have been the one to eat those fruit!”
Poison Gu humans were immortal, but in essence that just meant they couldn’t be killed or fall prey to sickness. It didn’t mean they couldn’t actually die. Time was their enemy and they would eventually succ.u.mb to age. Judging from the time it took to wait for the fruit to grow, Bai Yanqing had to be history’s first ever Poison Gu human. Even if they had the formula in their hands now, it was impossible to create another. Hundreds of years were needed for the plants to flower, bear fruit, and mature. Neither they nor Bai Yanqing could afford to wait another cycle…
Long Feiye didn’t speak, but quietly poured everyone tea. Although he was serving them, his elegant movements and n.o.ble carriage gave off the impression that he was bestowing favors. Gu Beiyue looked at him and said, “Your Highness, if there was only one choice, would you pick the Poison Gu human or Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion?”
“Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion,” Long Feiye didn’t hesitate.
“That’s right! Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion can nullify Poison Gu humans!” Gu Beiyue said.
Everyone was agreement. Xu Donglin and Baili Mingxiang had shown up in the middle of the conversation and nodded as well. If they had the option, becoming Poison Gu humans would help them conquer the world. However, to return to normal, they would have to rely on Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion; therefore, any Poison Gu human that wanted to live forever would fear its existence. The Poison Sect’s most powerful weapon wasn’t the Poison Pill (and its Poison Gu humans), but Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion!
“Possess the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion and you possess the world. These words must have come from the Poison Sect!” Han Yunxi said with conviction. But only members of the Poison Sect would have known it existed at all.
While the Poison Sect was researching the Poison Gu humans, it spread rumors like these. Why? By logic, they should have protected the secret instead!
“It seems like there were separate factions within the Poison Sect as well...interesting,” Long Feiye remarked.
Those who knew the truth were only heirs to the Poison Sect, Han Yunxi excepted. After all these conjectures, the group had a good guess of what went on in the Poison Sect’s past regarding the Perplexing b.u.t.terfly Illusion and Poison Gu humans. Although they still had to collect ingredients to break through the poison, at least they had found a way to deal with Bai Yanqing. Thus, their motive for this journey was fulfilled. Now they could focus all their questions on the man himself.
Had Bai Yanqing learned of the Poison Pill’s secret from the storage s.p.a.ce within the wordless stele, or stumbled upon clues in the sect’s Watercloud Hall like Gu Qishao? Or perhaps, it was a secret pa.s.sed down to successive generations of Poison Sect descendants? Just how many of those still existed in this world? And what about the mysterious man in the forest--who was he?
None of these questions affected how they’d deal with Bai Yanqing, but they were related to Han Yunxi’s origins. Everyone’s clues were limited, so this was as far as they could guess. Han Yunxi suddenly felt an urge to break through the third level of the poison storage s.p.a.ce soon. Then she could communicate with Lil Thing telepathically and ask it about the Snow Wolf Clan and Poison Sect. Lil Thing seemed young, but it was already very old. It had already experienced everything in the Poison Sect and must know more than Bai Yanqing, or the paintings within the wordless stele s.p.a.ce.
Gu Beiyue was missing Lil Thing too. He suddenly laughed and said, “Seems like Lil Thing is pretty old!”
Would Lil Thing be in a mad mood after hearing those words? Did the gentleman take offense to its age? Its heart was as youthful as spring!
Gu Qishao laughed. He had a rather good impression of Lil Thing. “Who knew that the snow wolf’s true form came from a squirrel? Did they turn into wolves after eating those poison plants?”
Gu Beiyue nodded with a grin. “It’s a shame that all those poison plants inside the Skypit died out.”
Han Yunxi was currently silent. She was really puzzled about her origins. She’d rather kill Bai Yanqing, but she didn’t want to walk around bearing the crime of patricide. Currently, all she knew about Mu Xin was that she left with a baby in her womb after discovering the young clan head of the Poison Sect had illicit relations with another woman. This same young clan head had once gifted her a Ten-Thousand Year Blood Jade as a betrothal gift, but Mu Xin gave the object to Lady Lianxin instead to get Han Congan a position as director.
If that Poison Sect young clan head was Bai Yanqing, then who could his secret lover be? If it wasn’t him, then where did he belong in the Poison Sect? How was he related, if any, to the young clan head? And how did Bai Yanqing find out Mu Xin went to the Han Clan while with child? Moreover, why did Bai Yanqing know she had a phoenix wing birthmark on her back and was the West Qin heir?
The more she knew, the more guesses she had. Han Yunxi was even getting a bit tired of it all. She made a pitiful face at Long Feiye for help, wis.h.i.+ng that he could think things through for her instead. Of course, she had no idea this was the first time she’d acted so coquettishly, so naturally. Nor did she realize how tired women acting spoiled were most likely to capture a man’s heart.
Seeing her pathetic expression, Long couldn’t help but stroke her hair and said in a doting tone, “Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to get to the bottom of Bai Yanqing.”
Gu Qishao saw everything and only pursed his lips. However, he didn’t interrupt them like the past. Still, his depression was written all over his face as he fell into thought. He had to find a way to investigate Bai Yanqing too!
Seeing Long Feiye withdraw his hand, Gu Qishao proclaimed loudly, “Then, let’s gather roun and discuss what to do next?”
They had to deal with Bai Yanqing, the Di Clan, and Northern Li, but it was impossible to be in multiple places at once! If Gu Qishao didn’t have to protect them, he could dedicate his time to tracking down the Fire and Metal of Ten Thousand Poisons. But right now he wasn’t going to leave Han Yunxi a step, just in case Bai Yanqing came back for revenge!
“There hasn’t been news of Bai Yanqing for days. I believe there’s another secret at play,” Long Feiye remarked. “Wait a few more days and see what he does.”
Using an unchanging stance to deal with constant change had always been Long Feiye’s style. He was more interested in the Di Clan and Northern Li. At this moment, Xu Donglin suddenly received a secret missive from the shadow guards. He saw that it was posted from Northern Li and quickly dashed over to interrupt Long Feiye.
“Your Highness, an urgent message from Northern Li,” Xu Donglin said respectfully.
Long Feiye was mildly startled. Emergency news there now could only bode ill. Yet a surprise greeted him upon opening the envelope.
“Ning Cheng is with Jun Yixie. He’s formed an alliance with him and began to lead 30,000 of the Northern Li battle horses down south yesterday!” Long Feiye said coldly.
Everyone was stunned. The Di Clan...really had rebelled!
If it was the elders of Cloud Realm Trade Consortium or the Ning Clan troops’ deputy generals, Han Yunxi could still hold out for the last hope, Ning Cheng. Yet neither of the former had declared their stance while Ning Cheng was flat out revolting in public! Han Yunxi only felt that she’d been attacked unawares!
Her heart had always held out the last shred of hope for Ning Cheng--not that he’d submit to her, but that he’d submit to West Qin in the end, if nothing more than for the Di Clan’s longstanding years of persistence and his own dreams.
But who knew that he’d be the first to rebel within the clan! So as it turned out, Bai Yuqiao really had run off to find Jun Yixie and Ning Cheng was there this entire time! Was he holding a grudge from her needle attack? Or the fact that she and Long Feiye’s alliance persisted in claiming the hatred between East and West Qin was just a misunderstanding? What had given him the impetus to go against them in the end? Now that he was allied with Jun Yixie, this posed a big problem.
Long Feiye immediately gave orders. “Go to the Three-Way Black Market. Xu Donglin, send orders than Kangan Private Bank’s Manager Luo is to come to East Origin Hall!”
Ning Cheng must have allied with Jun Yixie because he coveted the other man’s horses; Jun Yixie must have done the same because he coveted Ning Cheng’s money. He wanted them to get neither!
Long Feiye’s grudge against both men were the same, because it went beyond enmity into a personal vendetta!
Xu Donglin did as he was told while Han Yunxi’s gaze grew complicated as she remembered Ning Jing and Mu Linger. Despite all the good terms they’d offered the kidnappers, Manager Jin hadn’t budged. Could it be that he was going to find Ning Cheng instead?
“Xu Donglin, quick, tell Tang Li that Ning Jing’s most likely with Ning Cheng!” she added.
By now, Ning Jing and Mu Linger had indeed almost reached Ning Cheng’s side. Uncle Cheng and Manager Jin brought the two into Jun Yixie’s army to find Ning Cheng, who was furious enough to stomp his subordinate to death. But in front of Jun Yixie, he had no choice except to endure!