“Enough, my decision is final!” the tall, lean Second Brother declared resolutely.
The young woman grew anxious, quickly turning to the young man and the elderly man with a pleading look in her eyes.
After exchanging a glance, the young man remained silent, while the elderly man sighed and said, “Fifth Sister, let Second Brother go! He’s atoning for what happened earlier. Only by doing this will he feel somewhat better!”
“But Second Brother, like this…” the woman tried to argue, but Second Brother had already stepped before Han Li and said calmly, “Senior, let’s begin. Use me as the test subject.”
His words carried a tone of solemn resolve, but what happened next left the four of them as if doused in cold water, stunned and speechless.
“Have you all misunderstood something? When did I ever agree to lift the Blood Curse for you?”
Han Li’s words were as piercing as ice, leaving the Meng Mountain Five staring at each other in disbelief.
“If Senior had no intention of lifting the curse, why did you study it on our eldest brother?” the Second Brother of the Meng Mountain Five asked in a fluster after a moment of shock.
“Did I say I was studying the Blood Curse to lift it for you? I was merely curious!” Han Li replied expressionlessly.
Seeing Han Li’s cold demeanor and hearing his heartless words, the group stood there dumbfounded.
“But Senior, didn’t you want to know about those people? If you don’t lift the Blood Curse from us, how can we answer your questions?” the young man asked, his face full of anxiety, clearly unwilling to let go of this glimmer of hope.
Upon hearing this, Han Li glanced at him sideways, let out a cold laugh, and then looked up at the sky without another word. Such an obvious question wasn’t even worth his response.
“Fourth Brother, don’t ask. This Senior believes the information he can get from us isn’t worth our lives, which is why he’s unwilling to act lightly.” The dark-faced elder, with his greater age and experience, cut straight to the point.
“What conditions must be met for you to act, Senior? Please speak plainly. As long as you can truly remove the Blood Curse, we, the Meng Mountain Five, will not hesitate,” the elder continued calmly.
“Good! If you had said this earlier, we could have avoided all this circling.” Han Li suddenly clapped lightly and smiled amiably. But to the four of them, his unpredictable demeanor only deepened their sense of awe and fear.
“The conditions are simple. If I can rid you of this life-threatening curse, not only must you tell me everything you know, but from today onward, you will temporarily follow my orders and help me deal with this group’s attacks. I suspect they won’t let me off easily, and I likewise want to resolve this quickly.”
“However, don’t worry about being outnumbered. I am a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley. I came to Yuejing only to handle some sect matters. Once we get through this period, I will call for reinforcements. By then, we won’t have to fear these petty villains.”
Han Li laid out his conditions with a pleasant demeanor and unapologetically invoked the authority of his sect—only this would make them fully committed.
“Senior is a cultivator from Yellow Maple Valley!” Although the elder had already guessed Han Li likely belonged to one of the seven major sects, hearing it confirmed brought a smile to his face.
“Very well, we agree to your terms. We won’t stand aside, especially since once the Blood Curse is lifted, we’ll undoubtedly become targets of their pursuit. Staying by your side will be safer.” The dark-faced elder agreed readily.
The young man and woman, hearing the elder’s words, also showed relief and did not object. Clearly, they agreed with the elder’s decision. To them, the seven major sects were far more powerful than the force that had controlled them with the Blood Curse, making them a natural ally.
The tall, lean Second Brother, however, seemed hesitant, as if he wanted to say something but held back.
“If Senior’s method to lift the Blood Curse proves effective, we have one more request we hope you can grant.” The dark-faced elder glanced at Second Brother before solemnly making another appeal to Han Li.
Seeing this, Han Li had an idea of what was coming but replied indifferently, “What is it? As long as it’s not too unreasonable, I will do my best to accommodate.”
At this moment, Han Li seemed unusually agreeable.
“Our Fourth Sister is still in a civilian residence in Yuejing City. Now that we’ve been captured by you, we don’t know if she’s safe. We hope you can rescue her when the time comes.” The elder spoke with grave seriousness.
“Eldest Brother!” The tall, lean Second Brother looked at him with gratitude.
“Fine. Since you’ll be following me for now, I will naturally rescue your companion. But for now, we must address the severe poison in your systems. Otherwise, within moments, you’ll be dead—what use is discussing lifting the curse then?” Han Li agreed readily but then pivoted, delivering words that sent chills down their spines.
“What severe poison? We should only have the Blood Curse!” The young man paled, his voice tinged with panic and doubt.
Seeing the young man’s skepticism, Han Li didn’t get angry but instead sternly said, “While examining the Blood Curse earlier, I discovered that your eldest brother not only has the Blood Curse but also a potent toxin. This poison is extremely virulent and highly unstable—it’s likely to activate soon. Fortunately, I have some expertise in detoxification. Neutralizing it will be a simple task, so there’s no need to worry. Of course, if you don’t believe me, you can wait a while and see if you indeed succumb to the poison.”
After Han Li’s explanation, the four of them mostly believed him.
“So that’s it. No wonder the person who tasked us insisted we share a drink with him before we left—the wine was poisoned. We thought since we already had the Blood Curse, they wouldn’t resort to other means, so none of us paid it any mind. Their methods are truly vicious!” The tall, lean Second Brother said with a grim expression.
The young man and woman finally understood, while the elder’s face darkened—he had likely already suspected as much.
Since Han Li had decided to win over the Meng Mountain Five as allies, he had no intention of letting them succumb to the poison. He immediately reached into his storage pouch and pulled out two porcelain bottles, one white and one blue, tossing them to the dark-faced elder.
“Take one pill from each bottle. That will neutralize most of the toxin. You can expel the remnants later through meditation.” Han Li’s instructions were straightforward. The dark-faced elder promptly distributed the pills to the other three and, without hesitation, took his dose first.
It seemed the elder understood clearly: if Han Li intended to harm them, he wouldn’t need to resort to tampering with antidotes. Thus, he swallowed the pill with confidence.
Shortly after taking the pills, the group experienced intense abdominal pain.
The young woman’s face flushed red, and she suddenly stamped her foot, barely managing to summon her artifact to fly toward a nearby hill. However, due to the restrictions Han Li had placed on her, her flight was sluggish.
The three men, equally embarrassed, each found a secluded spot to expel the toxins from their systems.
After a while, the three returned to Han Li with awkward expressions.
The woman returned shortly after, her face still slightly flushed.
“Good, now we begin removing the Blood Curse. Who will go first?” Han Li got straight to the point.
“Of course—” Second Brother began, stepping forward, but a withered hand grabbed his arm.
“Second Brother, you still have Third Sister to think of! I’m an old man with no hope of building my foundation—I won’t live much longer anyway. Let me go first. After all, the child in Third Sister’s womb still needs you to care for it.” The dark-faced elder spoke calmly.
“Eldest Brother! This won’t do. How can we let you—” The tall, lean Second Brother shook his head vehemently, refusing to accept this.
The young man and woman also spoke up, offering to take the risk first.
“Enough arguing. Let your eldest brother go first. After all, I’ve already examined his body, so I have a better grasp of his condition.”
Although the bond among the four was moving, Han Li, unaffected by their sentiments, was primarily concerned with whether he could actually lift the Blood Curse. If he failed, all his efforts would be in vain, and he’d have to reconsider his plans.
With Han Li’s decision, the four stopped arguing, and the elder stepped forward solemnly.
The other three exchanged glances and could only watch with worried expressions.
*Thud! Thud!*… Six or seven sounds echoed in succession.
With a wave of his hand, Han Li summoned several soldier puppets, each the size of a real person. They appeared in a flash of white light, armed and positioned behind him.
“While I’m dispelling the Blood Curse, I cannot divide my attention to defend against enemies. These puppets are a precaution. Anyone who comes within ten yards of me will be attacked. You’d best keep your distance.” Han Li’s words made it clear he did not yet trust them, forcing the three to reluctantly step back.
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