A journey through the world of martial arts

Chapter 339 Being controlled by others
Upon hearing Elder Qu's words, Li Dengping's expression changed slightly. Then, she stared intently at Elder Qu and said in a deep voice, "Elder Qu, this is Tianshan. It's not your Blue Shadow Sect's place to act presumptuously here."

Although the sect leader and senior brothers were not present, given the strength of the Tianshan Sect, it would not be difficult to subdue these small sects. However, judging from Qu Wei's words, there seemed to be some backup plan to deal with the Tianshan Sect. Thinking of this, Li Dengping's heart sank, and he quickly thought of a solution.

"Elder Li, you must have heard of the Tang Clan's Thousand-Day Intoxication. Although my martial arts are mediocre, I do have some skills in poisoning. Now, apart from you few, everyone else has been secretly poisoned. If you don't want to cause more casualties, you'd better hand over the Nourishing Spirit Pill. I only need the Nourishing Spirit Pill, and once I have it, I will offer you the antidote with both hands. How about it?"

Elder Qu looked at Li Dengping and the others with gloomy faces opposite him and slowly stated his conditions. He really thought so. With Xue Wanshan and Ni Qingfeng around, he was not so arrogant as to fight the Tianshan Sect to the death.

The other two's expressions changed slightly upon hearing this. This was not quite what they had agreed upon. Hadn't they agreed to kill everyone on Mount Tian after obtaining the Nourishing Spirit Pill? Why had they suddenly changed their minds at this point?

"Elder Qu, you..."

One of them spoke up in confusion, but before he could finish his sentence, a caltrop flashing with blue light appeared at his throat. Dark blood slowly flowed down his neck. The man's eyes widened, he pointed at Qu Wei, and with two hoarse sounds, his body fell to the ground unwillingly.

"Qu Wei, you!"

Seeing his companion die, the other man immediately struck Qu Wei with a palm strike. The fierce palm wind was like a flying blade cutting through the air. Qu Wei, however, did not dodge or evade. Instead, he raised his hand and met the attack with a palm strike. When the man saw Qu Wei make his move, he sneered. But after the palm strike met, the man's face showed horror.

"Corpse-Transforming Hand!"

The middle-aged man in blue felt an extremely domineering flow of energy pass through his palm, along his meridians, and into his body. As soon as the energy entered his body, it condensed into a ball and continuously refined the true energy within him. In just a few breaths, more than half of the true energy in his body was lost, and the rate of consumption was getting faster and faster.

Seeing the infighting among Qu Wei and the other two, Li Dengping's eyes flashed with a sharp light. She made a gesture to Zhao Kai and the other three, and they slowly retreated to wait and see how things would develop.

"Humph!"

In less than a quarter of an hour, with a miserable scream, the middle-aged man in blue trembled, his inner energy instantly depleted, and his body withered at a visible speed as if it had been hollowed out. With a few rustling sounds, Qu Wei withdrew his right hand, which had become jet black and shiny, and looked at the middle-aged man in blue who had been turned to ashes, feeling secretly pleased with himself.

"This Corpse Transformation Hand is indeed very useful. It's not in vain that I provided living people for Tang Entangde to refine corpses. Elder Li, I only need one Spirit Nourishing Pill. If you can agree to my conditions, the foundation of the Tianshan Sect can be preserved. Otherwise, my Corpse Transformation Hand doesn't discriminate."

Qu Wei looked at Li Dengping with amusement. Now that he had the initiative, he had no choice but to agree. Li Dengping pondered for a moment and said, "The Nourishing Spirit Pill was refined by Junior Brother Ni. Only the sect leader and a few elders who do not concern themselves with worldly affairs know about it. I am not among them. If Elder Qu wants to obtain the Nourishing Spirit Pill, I can only ask the elders."

Upon hearing Li Dengping's words, Qu Wei frowned. He was somewhat skeptical of her words. As a powerful elder of the Tianshan Sect, how could she not know the potency of this elixir? However, judging from Li Dengping's demeanor, she didn't seem to be lying. Qu Wei was momentarily at a loss for words.

"If that's the case, then Elder Li should get it done as soon as possible. My patience is limited, and the effects of the Thousand-Day Intoxication become more potent the longer it's delayed. Elder Li should make the most of the time."

Regardless of Li Dengping's intentions, Qu Wei doesn't want to push too far. In any case, it's the Tianshan Sect and its allies that are suffering now. If the Tianshan Sect doesn't want its reputation to be damaged, it will eventually agree to his conditions.

Without waiting for Li Dengping's response, Qu Wei turned and left the main hall, returning all the way to Qingxin Courtyard.

"Uncle-Master, what should we do now?" Zhao Kai was extremely worried about his fellow disciples. Despite their best efforts to guard against the attack, they still fell victim to someone's scheme. Their own death was a minor matter, but if it implicated the entire sect, they would be beyond redemption.

Upon hearing this, Li Dengping pondered for a moment, then a flash of inspiration struck her. Before leaving, her senior brother, the sect leader, had left behind the sect leader's token. Could it be that he had foreseen what would happen today? Thinking of this, Li Dengping beckoned to Zhao Kai and the others, gave them a few detailed instructions, and the four of them nodded before turning and leaving the main hall.

After the four left, Li Dengping headed towards the secret chamber at the back of the hall. She inserted the sect leader's token into the mechanism, and with a soft sound, the door to the secret chamber opened with a loud bang. Li Dengping slipped into the secret chamber, which was not large and was very simply furnished. Apart from a stone bed, there was only an oil lamp with a faint candlelight.

Li Dengping went to the stone bed and pressed around, finally pressing down a stone at the southeast corner of the bed. Suddenly, a stone slab on the floor of the secret room collapsed, revealing a square hole about half a foot in size. Li Dengping was delighted at the sight and quickly moved to the hole. By the candlelight, she looked down and saw four porcelain bottles neatly arranged in the hole. On the largest of the bottles, the words "Nourishing Spirit Pill" were written on red paper. Li Dengping immediately took the bottle out, uncorked it, and poured out a round, golden pill that emitted an enticing medicinal fragrance.

"This is the Spirit Nourishing Pill; it truly is an unparalleled elixir."

Li Dengping carefully put away the Nourishing Spirit Pill, then returned the porcelain bottle to its original place. After restoring everything to its original state, Li Dengping calmed her mind, quickly left the secret room, then went out of the main hall and headed straight for the back mountain.

Just after she left the main hall, a figure also rushed towards Qingxin Courtyard, arriving at the outside of Quwei Courtyard.

"come in."

Qu Wei picked up his teacup and drank the tea. Hearing the noise from outside, he called out to the outside.

With a creak, the door opened, and a lean young man bowed to Qu Wei and said, "Uncle-Master, you were right as I predicted. Li Dengping must know the whereabouts of the Nourishing Spirit Pill."

The young man then recounted everything he had seen to Qu Wei in great detail. Qu Wei listened and nodded. After a long while, the young man finally stopped talking.

"Heh, Li Dengping is, after all, a woman. Although she is cautious, being too careful is a flaw. In that case, I don't need to wait any longer. Give the order to return the ten Tianshan disciples to Li Dengping safely and properly at once."

"Yes, uncle."

Seeing Qu Wei wave, the disciple bowed again, then turned and left the room.

"One should not be too greedy. One pill of nourishing spirit is enough; too much will lead to death."

Qu Wei, as expected of a veteran of the martial arts world, knew the importance of valuing life. One pill of the Nourishing Spirit Pill was still within the tolerance of the Tianshan Sect. Any more than that, and he would be unable to enjoy it. The Tianshan Sect would surely use all its strength to surround and kill him. If they also destroyed the Zhongxin Hall, the entire martial arts world would probably be under the control of the Tianshan Sect. At that time, he would be all alone. Although the martial arts world was vast, there would be no place for him.

On the Liangyi Plain behind the mountain, Fu Tianjiao and the others looked anxiously at the alchemy room not far away. Their third uncle had been inside for half an hour and had not yet come out. At this critical moment, this made them quite uneasy.

Just as they waited quietly, Fu Tianjiao suddenly looked at the Blue Shadow Sect disciples walking in the distance, a sharp glint in her eyes. The other disciples also saw the ten exhausted Tianshan disciples and couldn't help but place their hands on their sword hilts. "Don't act rashly, Second Junior Brother, come with me to take a look."

Fu Tianjiao took the lead and Zhao Kai hurriedly followed. As they drew closer, when they were about ten feet apart, the leading Blue Shadow Sect disciple bowed slightly to Fu Tianjiao and Zhao Kai and said solemnly, "By order of Elder Qu, we are here to return your esteemed disciple."

After saying this, the leading disciple waved his hand to the people around him, and the Blue Shadow Sect disciples immediately loosened the ropes binding the Tianshan disciples. Then, they bowed and turned to leave.

Zhao Kai couldn't figure out what the other party was up to for a moment. Looking at his exhausted junior brothers, he immediately turned his gaze to Fu Tianjiao, hoping she could come up with an idea.

"Junior brother, give them the Qingling Pill first, then take them all back."

Fu Tianjiao nodded to Zhao Kai, who immediately took out a porcelain bottle and poured out pills the size of soybeans. He fed them to the disciples one by one. These pills were quite extraordinary. The disciples who had been suffering from the poison were immediately relieved of their fatigue and briefly regained some clarity, but they were still weak all over.

After Fu Tianjiao and her companion brought the person to Liangyi Ping, the rest of the group gathered around. Zhuo Bing, the most skilled in pharmacology among the Seven Heroes of Tianshan, tested the person with golden needles, but under the eager gazes of the crowd, Zhuo Bing shook her head.

"This Thousand-Day Intoxication is a rare poison in the martial arts world. Although I know its name, I don't know its formula. With my skill level, it would be impossible to find out the antidote in a short time. If my fourth uncle were here, that would be great."

Zhuo Bing now regrets not having studied pharmacology more thoroughly with his fourth uncle. He only learned some superficial knowledge, but even this superficial knowledge is extremely powerful on Mount Tian. The previously feared "Thousand-Sore-Riddled Deadly Powder" has been improved by Zhuo Bing with guidance from Ni Qingfeng and some of his own insights. Although it cannot completely block the poison, it can reduce the damage of the poison to the greatest extent.

"Alas, I wonder where Fourth Uncle has gone. If Fourth Uncle were here, the Blue Shadow Sect would be utterly helpless. How could a clown like Qu Wei be allowed to run rampant in Tianshan?"

Fu Tianxiang uttered a hateful cry, which garnered the approval of some people present. If it weren't for their fear of the poisoned junior brothers and sisters, they would have already drawn their swords and attacked. Now, feeling so humiliated, they simply couldn't swallow their anger.

"Alright, we can't put all our hopes on Fourth Uncle. We relied on him too much before, and we would ask him for help whenever something big happened. That's why we've become like this. It's fortunate that we're in Tianshan. Otherwise, in the martial arts world, suffering losses is a minor matter. The most terrible thing is losing your life in a muddle. By then, it will be too late."

Fu Tianjiao withdrew her right hand from a disciple, glanced at everyone, and sighed inwardly. Not to mention Tianxiang and the others, even she, the senior sister, had been sitting back and enjoying the fruits of others' labor when her fourth senior uncle was around, without trying to find a solution herself.

Zhao Kai and the others' expressions froze upon hearing Fu Tianjiao's words, and then they looked embarrassed. Their senior sister was right; they had relied too much on external forces, which was why they were helpless when faced with danger.

"Since our Third Uncle has asked us to wait here, he must have a reason. Let's guard this Two Elements Plain and not let anyone trespass."

"Yes, senior sister."

Fu Tianjiao dispatched all available manpower to completely surround the area around Liangyiping, while she and Zhao Kai guarded the outside of the alchemy room. After an unknown amount of time, Fu Tianjiao heard the sound of the palace door opening and saw Li Dengping walk out of the alchemy room. Fu Tianjiao and Zhao Kai immediately went to greet her.

"Third Uncle."

"Tianjiao, has anything happened during this time?"

Li Dengping looked at Fu Tianjiao, who pondered for a moment and said, "Qu Wei brought back ten Tianshan disciples. I have checked them and they have indeed been poisoned by Thousand Days Intoxication. Fortunately, the poisoning is not severe, but if it is not dealt with in time, I'm afraid they will slowly lose their martial arts skills."

"Yes, I have a way of handling this. Tianjiao, go to Qingxin Courtyard yourself and tell Qu Wei that the exchange will take place at Hongyi Hall at noon tomorrow."

Li Dengping only said this much, and Fu Tianjiao didn't ask any further questions. She simply said "yes" and then turned to leave. After Fu Tianjiao left, Zhao Kai, who was standing to the side, saw Li Dengping looking over and quickly asked, "What are your instructions, Martial Aunt?"

"No matter what happens tomorrow, the priority is to protect our disciples. As long as our disciples survive, the foundation of our Tianshan Sect will not be damaged."

Hearing Li Dengping's calm words, Zhao Kai had a bad feeling. He looked at Li Dengping with a flustered expression, and she sighed when she saw this.

"This Nourishing Spirit Pill is a treasure of Tianshan. It must not fall into the hands of those with ulterior motives. My personal life is of little concern, but Tianshan Sect must not be left with a stain that allows it to be threatened by others. Otherwise, it will be ridiculed by the martial arts world in the future. Zhao Kai, do you understand?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kai was immediately startled. His third uncle was usually gentle, but he never expected him to be so fierce when faced with damage to the sect's honor.

"Uncle-Master, I understand. Rest assured, Zhao Kai will protect all of you and wait for the Sect Leader's return."

"Very well, I am relieved to hear you say that. Go now."

Li Dengping waved her hand, and Zhao Kai bowed again before taking a few quick steps. He turned to look at Li Dengping, who smiled gently at him, before speeding up his walk away.

"Thank you for coming here, Miss Fu. I will certainly keep my appointment on time."

Fu Tianjiao walked out of Qingxin Courtyard with a solemn expression. On her way here, apart from a dozen or so people from the Blue Shadow Sect, everyone else in Qingxin Courtyard was locked in their respective rooms. In particular, Guo Rui from the Iron Spear Sect was being personally watched by two elders of the Blue Shadow Sect.

Back at Liangyiping, Fu Tianjiao relayed Qu Wei's reply to Li Dengping in detail. After listening, Li Dengping nodded and then said to Fu Tianjiao, "It's getting late, Tianjiao, you should go and rest too."

Fu Tianjiao, unsuspecting, bowed again, turned and left the room, returning to the disciples' quarters behind the mountain. Just as she was about to rest, a figure suddenly flashed past the window. Fu Tianjiao gave a soft shout, picked up her longsword, pushed open the door, and thrust it out. A flash of cold light appeared, and in the blink of an eye, she was already close to the other person's back. At that moment, the person clamped Fu Tianjiao's longsword between two fingers, and no matter how hard Fu Tianjiao tried, the longsword did not budge.

"Miss Fu, please do not make a move. It is this old man."

A hoarse voice reached Fu Tianjiao's ears, and the figure turned around, revealing himself to be Xuanwu Shangren.

(End of this chapter)