“Big brother Song!” Dong Xiaowan cried out as she witnessed Zhuo Fan collapsing. She wanted to go to him but Dong Tianba pulled her hand.
Dong Tianba was watching the elder in green with a serious face. Zhuo Fan reduced Yan Fu to such a state and helping him would only incur the elder’s wrath.
It may not be righteous, but as long as you’d escape an encounter with the seven houses alive, everything else was just details.
“Hey, wench, take care of my disciple!”
Vicious Pill King turned to Xiao Dandan, his eyes flashing green. She shivered from fear as she pointed at herself, “Y-you mean me?”
“Cut the crap. My disciple ended up like this for your sake. Who else should be looking after him if not you?” Yan Song spoke in an irreproachable manner.
Xiao Dandan was forced to obey despite her wishes.
Yan Fu’s mangled body stirred endless disgust in her. [Who told him to stick his head out for me? Not me! He dragged me here to mess with Song Yu and now that he got hurt, I have to look after him?]
Picking up on her loathing, Yan Song spoke in a threatening tone, “Wench, my disciple got hurt for your sake and you’re just going to ignore him?”
Shivering, Xiao Dandan shook her head again and again, “Uh, no, I wouldn’t dare!”
“Humph, you’d better. My disciple took a liking to you so you better not let him down or I will make you beg for the sweet release of death!”
Snorting, Yan Song left his precious disciple in Xiao Dandan’s care then walked to Zhuo Fan. The latter was on the ground, seemingly having stopped breathing, but his mind was hard at work paying attention to all that was happening.
Also, he wasn’t as poisoned as he had led on.
He just canceled out Yan Fu’s three poisons with the use of Demon Transformation Art and put on this act to dupe the crowd.
Feeling Yan Song’s naked killing intent with every step, Zhuo Fan’s fist tightened.
[I’m already poisoned to death and a senior like you still wants to finish the job?]
If push came to shove, his only choice was to expose his real identity.
Despite having a 5th-grade demonic treasure body, an all-out strike from a Profound Heaven expert would leave him with a heavy wound. At the very least, his inner organs would be damaged.
Zhuo Fan was ready to react at a moment’s notice and strike down the insufferable Vicious Pill King!
Suddenly…
Lighting crackled along his Thunder Ring left him startled, [That guy can’t be here, right?]
Yet familiar laughter echoed as a person flashed a hundred meters from Zhuo Fan, “Ha-ha-ha, and here I thought the magnificent and grand Vicious Pill King was amazing, while instead, he delights in picking on the weak!”
It was none other than Sword Marquise Abode’s Xie Tianyang, the one who went through life and death alongside Zhuo Fan. Next to him was the same elder from before, 8th elder Jian Suifeng!
[Well damn, you picked the perfect timing to show up!]
Zhuo Fan was in glee, sneaking the Thunder Ring into another storage ring while no one was looking. The crackling of lighting vanished but Xie Tianyang didn’t care, as he continued to stare at Yan Song with arrogance.
“Twerp, did you come to butt into my affairs?”
Yan Song snapped his eyes to him, exploding in killing intent. Jian Suifeng rested his hand on Xie Tianyang’s shoulder, “Tianyang, this doesn’t concern us.”
“8th elder, Drifting Flowers City isn’t Pill King Hall’s turf, why should we be scared of him?” Xie Tianyang grinned, sticking out his chin.
Jian Suifeng shook his head. Ever since the battle of Blue Expanse City between You Guiqi and Zhuo Fan, Xie Tianyang had become a busybody. He just couldn’t stand by and watch injustice playing before him.
This quirk wasn’t that bad, but it didn’t do any good either.
The elder didn’t stop him in normal cases. But right now, he had gone too far. To dare to butt in the seven houses’ affairs, this had left the Sword Marquise Abode’s elders in a panic. He could not fathom the consequences.
That Zhuo Fan was all by his lonesome self, messing with whoever that crossed him as he wished. But Tianyang represented Sword Marquise Abode. Just what did the elders teach him?
Furthermore, did he have to go against the Vicious Pill King out of all of them?
Jian Suifeng gave a wistful smile as he apologized in Xie Tianyang’s stead, “Ha-ha-ha, elder Yan Song, I am Sword Marquise Abode’s 8th elder, Jian Suifeng. Please don’t mind the words of an ignorant youth!”
“No wonder he dares acts so presumptuous. He’s from Sword Marquise Abode!”
Yan Song’s eyes drifted over the two then shook his head at the breathless Zhuo Fan, “Whatever, I’ll let Sword Marquise Abode have this one and won’t punish this punk myself. He inhaled my disciple’s poison anyway and won’t have long to live.”
Yan Song emphasized the word disciple, pointing out the fact his disciple was the one that would kill this kid. It was a message to them, ‘It has nothing to do with me. I’m not picking on the weak, so don’t you freakin’ start spreading false rumors and ruining my name, Sword Marquise Abode!’
Jian Suifeng was clear on his hidden meaning and nodded, “Ha-ha-ha, elder Yan Song has a fine disciple. How could any common person be his match? This kid dared to mess with him so death is what he deserves! “
Yan Fu nodded in satisfaction, [At least you’re tactful.] He then flashed before Xiao Dandan and took her and his disciple away.
His disciple won, but it was a wretched win.
If he lingered any more, the Sword Marquise Abode might figure out his disciple killed his opponent with poison while getting beaten like a punching bag. He’d have no face left then!
There weren’t many who knew this, to begin with, only Drifting Flowers Tower, Merry Woods and Hell Valley, but the fewer that did, the better – this was all to avoid making a disgrace of himself.
When the old man left, Jian Suifeng took a deep breath. Though Jian Suifeng who was filled with hatred gnashed his teeth while looking at Zhuo Fan slowly dying, “Bastard, he flaunts his power at every chance and disgraces all the seven houses!”
“Alright already. Do you think you’re that monster, Zhuo Fan? That you can do anything you want?”
After cuffing Xie Tianyang over the head, Jian Suifeng shook his head, “Tianyang, do you have any idea how dangerous that was? Unlike You Guiqi who likes to play games and scheme instead of acting on impulses, Vicious Pill King would strike at anything that earns his displeasure with impunity, even against the other houses, no one can do anything to stop him!”
Xie Tianyang bit his lip and sighed powerlessly.
“You must be the Sword Marquise Abode’s young master!”
Xie Tianyang turned to see Dong Xiaowan kneeling at his feet, “Brother Song Yu has been poisoned by Pill King Hall, please save him!”
Xie Tianyang eyes Zhuo Fan then Jian Suifeng, “8th elder, can we save him?”
“Ha! You think there’s anyone in this world that can cure Pill King Hall’s poison? If there was, it wouldn’t have grown into such a fearful figure.” Jian Suifeng shook his head, “Tianyang, don’t mess with other people’s problems!”
Xie Tianyang watched Dong Xiaowan hopeless, “Forgive me, miss, I cannot help him.” And left with Jian Suifeng.
Dong Xiaowan cried as she turned to her brother. Dong Tianba sighed, “At the end of it all, dear little brother Song met his doom because of us. We will return his body to Nightrain City and bury him there. The Song clan will be then declared our kin.”
Dong Xiaowan sniffed and nodded.
“Wait!” A sudden voice stopped them.
Chuchu appeared, “He’s been poisoned by Rainbow Cloud Palm. If you touch him you will also suffer!”
What?
The two backed off a few steps. Dong Xiaowan watched Chuchu mournful, “What can we do? We can’t just leave big brother Song’s body here.”
“Leave him to me. I will heal him!”
Chuchu bound Zhuo Fan in a ribbon and vanished, leaving the Dong siblings in shock.
The Sword Marquise Abode of the Seven Noble Houses couldn’t do anything. Yet, a hick woman could?
The two couldn’t make heads or tails of it, but Zhuo Fan was the most in shock.
He observed the three poisons in his body combining and ever-changing, amplifying its toxicity. Was there any other method that could remove it besides the Demon Transformation Art?
[Maybe…] His guess got him in high spirits.
Fifteen minutes later, in the slums, Chuchu laid Zhuo Fan on the earthen bed and her hand flashed with a bottle.
The instant she uncorked it, the scent wafted everywhere in the room.
Zhuo Fan was startled yet despite his eyes being close, they still trembled. This was what he was after from the start, the heavenly treasure, Bodhi Jade Sap.
A green drop landed on Zhuo Fan’s lip, sliding in his mouth.
In that instant, Zhuo Fan felt a boundless vitality soaring ever higher in his body, wrapping every inch of his body. He was so happy, but the sorrow in his heart dwarfed it.
[Sister, it would’ve been better if you dripped it on my egg…]