Several martial artists, who had not yet begun their meal for various reasons, threw away their wine and dishes like avoiding venomous snakes and scorpions. Instantly, the courtyard was filled with the aroma of wine and the scent of meat.
“Toxic Perpetual!” Everyone, except Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu, including Lu Zhongqi, shouted in unison, their voices revealing evident fear, each assuming a defensive stance.
The black dog happily ate the food on the ground without any abnormality, while the fallen martial heroes bled from their seven orifices and stopped breathing. The scene was as eerie as it could get.
Lu Guan, Jiao Chong, and Daoist Master Hu arrived at the courtyard upon hearing the commotion. Looking at the corpses on the ground, their expressions were equally grave.
After a long while, seeing no other changes occurring, the group began to clean up and inspect the bodies, though the fear and vigilance in their eyes could not be concealed.
“Brother Zhongqi, who is Toxic Perpetual?” Meng Qi pondered for a moment before asking in a cold tone.
Faced with such an enemy, he no longer cared about exposing his ignorance.
Lu Zhongqi wasn’t surprised. Meng and Miss Ruan were both young, possessed high martial cultivation, and were generally indifferent in temperament, having previously focused solely on martial arts and thus having limited knowledge of the martial world—this was to be expected.
He sighed, “Toxic Perpetual is a notorious fiend from the south, skilled in concealment and poisoning. His techniques are ever-changing and bizarre, making them impossible to guard against. For example, just now, the black dog ate the food without issue, yet if we had consumed it, we would have been fatally poisoned. Even freshly caught fish from the river, if cooked directly in river water and eaten, would still result in poisoning. He is feared even more than many heretical experts whose reputations and abilities surpass his own. I never thought he would be recruited by the treacherous chancellor!”
The unknown is the most frightening… Meng Qi nodded slightly. Earlier, his brow had felt tight, his mind extended outward to sense the surroundings, yet he still failed to locate Toxic Perpetual, indicating that he was not nearby.
After introducing Toxic Perpetual, Lu Zhongqi casually continued, “The supreme experts in the world are the National Preceptor and the Demoness Queen—grandmasters who have begun to comprehend the Dao of Heaven—and there are fewer than five of them. Below them are the peak martial experts in the mortal world, such as the Evil Monarch, the King of Ghosts, Ruyi Monk, and Daoist Master Xi Yue, totaling no more than a dozen or so, with varying degrees of strength among them. Among them, the Evil Monarch is the most likely to become a grandmaster.”
“These are all well-known figures. Most martial artists would rarely encounter them. Normally, they would only meet famous and top-tier martial experts. Since battles are easily affected by various factors, cultivation level does not necessarily equate to actual strength, and one’s combat effectiveness against one opponent may differ from another. Thus, strength can only be roughly judged based on past records.”
“Toxic Perpetual’s personal strength is relatively weak, perhaps not even qualifying him among the top-tier martial experts, but his mastery of poisons and his silent, stealthy methods have earned him a formidable reputation. His name alone is enough to stop children from crying at night, and no one in the southern regions dares to face him. Against other experts, one might at least fight back, but when encountering him, one can only walk toward death helplessly in despair and panic.”
“If not for the fact that overly potent toxins would be easily detected and weaker toxins could be expelled by true experts through internal energy, Toxic Perpetual could even rival the Evil Monarch and King of Ghosts.”
He spoke at length, seemingly reminding Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu to be cautious of Toxic Perpetual. However, Meng Qi sensed that he was also venting his inner fear—although he had mentally prepared for resistance and danger along the way, who could have imagined encountering such a terrifying enemy right from the start!
Meng Qi slowly nodded and turned to Ruan Yushu, whispering through secret transmission, “We must find a way to eliminate Toxic Perpetual as soon as possible, or we’ll be in danger.”
“Hmm,” Ruan Yushu replied calmly and coolly.
After inspecting the corpses and food, Daoist Master Hu discovered that it was a peculiar poison, ineffective against creatures other than humans. While not extremely potent, it was more than sufficient to kill ordinary martial artists.
Fearing further poisoning, no one ate dinner that night, waiting on an empty stomach for dawn.
Meng Qi sat cross-legged in meditation, his ears alert to all directions. He practiced the Shape-Shifting Technique, not missing even the slightest movement, determined to strike down Toxic Perpetual with a decisive blow the moment he appeared.
In the middle of the night, he suddenly heard someone quietly get up, step out of the room, climb over the courtyard wall, and flee rapidly.
Meng Qi hesitated for a moment, sighed, and did not stop him.
Once the first person fled, others followed—within a mere hour, nearly twenty people had escaped over the walls.
At dawn, as Meng Qi stepped out of his room, he heard Lu Zhongqi’s furious voice, “What a bunch of cowards! Talking about chivalry and righteousness, yet at the first sight of Toxic Perpetual, they fled in panic with their tails between their legs!”
By then, aside from several household guards, only Daoist Master Hu, Jiao Chong, and a few other martial experts remained beside Lu Guan.
Lu Guan remained calm and showed no anger, “It is an honor for these friends to come and assist me. It is natural for them to worry about their own safety and choose to leave. There is nothing wrong with that.”
He solemnly bowed to Meng Qi, Daoist Master Hu, and the remaining martial heroes, “This journey is perilous, a matter of life and death. I ask all of you to consider carefully before joining me.”
“I have already placed life and death beyond concern,” Daoist Master Hu declared passionately.
Meng Qi placed his hand on his sword and replied succinctly, “Not afraid.”
Ruan Yushu said nothing, only nodding slightly to indicate she would not leave either.
Deeply moved, Lu Guan bowed again, “I will never forget the kindness of you all.”
The group set off once more, but compared to the previous day, their numbers had decreased by at least seventy to eighty percent. A sense of desolation and tragic resolve hung in the air.
Along the way, Lu Zhongqi looked at Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu and remarked emotionally, “I never expected you two to be so young yet possess the demeanor of ancient chivalrous knights. I truly appreciate your help in escorting General Lu to the capital.”
With a severe reduction in manpower, he now had to rely heavily on Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu.
Disguised as merchants, the group passed through the city and soon reached the wilderness, where trees gradually increased, some still bearing fruit.
After half a day and a night without food, several household guards and martial heroes could no longer endure and began picking fruits to fill their stomachs. Surely, even Toxic Perpetual could not have poisoned naturally grown food?
They inspected the fruits, tasted one cautiously, and then carried them back, intending to present them to Lu Guan and Meng Qi’s group.
Suddenly, one after another, they collapsed, foaming at the mouth, convulsing, and quickly losing their lives.
Even naturally grown fruits had been poisoned!
Jiao Chong rushed forward to save a martial hero with decent internal energy who was still struggling, but at that moment, three poisoned needles shot from the forest, aiming at his face.
Jiao Chong, prepared, dove forward and dodged the needles.
With a swoosh, a thin, bluish glow came from somewhere and struck Jiao Chong’s left arm precisely.
Gritting his teeth, Jiao Chong drew his sword and immediately severed his left arm. Blood gushed out as he pressed several vital points to temporarily seal the wound.
Toxic Perpetual was nearby! Meng Qi’s brow tightened, fully activating his Shape-Shifting Technique. The location where the poisoned needles were fired appeared vividly in his mind.
Just as he was focusing on detecting the subtlest details, Ruan Yushu suddenly transmitted secretly, “No matter how well he conceals his breathing and movements, if he comes to kill, he will inevitably emit killing intent.”
She held her zither in one hand and strummed it urgently with the other, producing sounds of fierce battle, stirring Meng Qi’s own murderous intent toward Toxic Perpetual, making him eager to unleash it.
At that moment, a small mound of earth slightly shifted.
Without hesitation, Meng Qi grabbed his sword and charged forward.
The mound suddenly flipped open, revealing a dusty old man beneath. His face bore evident killing intent as he prepared to shoot poisoned needles and scatter toxic powder.
“Hmph!”
Suddenly, Meng Qi let out a thunderous shout, like a clap of thunder on a clear day, stunning Lu Guan and the protective Daoist Master Hu to the point of dizziness. Jiao Chong, injured, and Lu Zhongqi were even more affected, their ears ringing as they fell to the ground.
Toxic Perpetual staggered, his eyes dazed, clearly dizzy, as the poisoned needles and powder fell from his hands.
Meng Qi leapt into the air, swift as a swallow skimming the water, and slashed his sword, landing behind Toxic Perpetual.
Blood spurted from Toxic Perpetual’s forehead as he fell backward with a thud.
“A swordsman’s blade must draw blood upon being unsheathed…” Daoist Master Hu recalled Meng Qi’s proud words from the previous day.
His swordsmanship was indeed superior to his saber techniques—far superior!
Clang! Meng Qi sheathed his sword and turned around calmly, exuding the elegance of a true swordsman.
Just as he was about to approach Toxic Perpetual’s corpse, a puff of white smoke rose from the body, and the surrounding grass and trees quickly withered.
When the smoke cleared, the corpse had melted into a puddle of pus and blood, leaving nothing behind.
“Poison users are ruthless—they even turn their own bodies into poison vessels.” Thanks to previous experiences, Meng Qi did not hastily approach the corpse or search for spoils, thus narrowly escaping another disaster.
“Brother Meng, your swordsmanship is even better than I imagined,” Lu Zhongqi said, getting up shakily.
Lu Guan nodded, knelt down to dig a large pit, and buried the victims with a sorrowful expression.
“How was my swordsmanship?” Meng Qi quietly inquired of Ruan Yushu, eager to validate himself. Such grace and effortlessness—nothing like those rumors about a wild Vajra Thunder Blade Mad Monk!
Ruan Yushu remained as cold and composed as ever, “Not bad. Your roar was also quite mighty.”
His roar was mighty… Meng Qi decided not to speak to her for now.
After finishing the burial, Lu Guan sprinkled some water and regained his determined expression, “Let us depart.”
Jiao Chong, severely injured, stayed behind to recover at home. What had been a group of twenty to thirty people was now reduced to just five: Lu Guan, Lu Zhongqi, Daoist Master Hu, Meng Qi, and Ruan Yushu—the rest had either fled or perished.
This was only their first encounter with a formidable expert, the first major obstacle on the journey to the capital!
Looking at the remaining few, Lu Zhongqi felt both sorrow and uncertainty about the road ahead, unable to help glancing at the expressionless Meng Qi and Ruan Yushu.
Changing routes was necessary, but could they truly rely solely on this? Could they fight their way through numerous powerful opponents and reach the capital?
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