knife

Chapter 272 I had no choice but to deliver myself to their door.
Li Dachui withdrew his hand, looked at the sleeping fat man, smiled, and tucked his exposed arm back into the blankets.

"Is everything alright?" Xiao Changche asked with some concern.

The fat man fled back in a disheveled state, and when he saw Li Dachui, Xiao Changche and the others, he collapsed to the ground with a thud and lost consciousness, which really startled everyone.

Who is Li Kaixin?
A dignified ninth-rank Xuan Yuan master has been reduced to this state on his own turf. Could the person who injured him be a Xiantian master?

“It’s alright!” Li Dachui said, “If it were some other martial art that injured him, it would be quite troublesome. I might have had to ask Grandpa Fu to treat him. But the martial art that injured him was Moon Essence Weak Water! That makes things simple. The medicine is just right. Qiankun Qi is not effective for treating other injuries, but dealing with Phoenix Fire and Moon Essence Weak Water is a piece of cake.”

"Moonlight Weak Water?" Xiao Changche exclaimed in surprise, "The Southern Demonic Sect?"

"Dogs have a keen sense of smell; they actually came right after smelling the scent!" Li Dachui chuckled. "But it's good, I've always wanted to see what kind of existence the Demonic Sect really is. After all, I admire and am very curious about an organization that can cultivate someone like my mother."

"The Demonic Sect is powerful in the south, but it was severely suppressed in the Qin Kingdom. However, we have never heard of them outside the pass. What is the reason for their appearance here and their seeking out Steward Li?"

"What else could it be? It's because Fatty is refining the Phoenix Flame. But how did this news get out?"

“There’s no place like a troublemaker!” Xiao Changdao said. “He used to be just a steward in the Tai’an City Lord’s Mansion, so naturally few people paid attention to him. But later, we had the Anxi Protectorate, and now we have basically unified the area outside the Great Wall. More and more people are paying attention to our affairs. Steward Li must have accidentally revealed something somewhere, and it’s possible that the Demonic Sect got the news and came knocking on our door.”

"Maybe!" Li Dachui nodded. "But this guy can't go far. I'll find him soon."

"How did you manage to find him? This man's martial arts skills are even higher than Steward Li's!"

"His skill level is limited. It's just that Phoenix Fire and Moonlight Water are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining, so he's a step behind and thus tied down. Plus, this weather is indeed favorable to Moonlight Water. If it were the sweltering heat of midsummer, Fatty would probably have a slight advantage!" Li Dachui said, "Besides, Fatty has been with me for so long. Do you think he only has martial arts cultivation as his skill?"

Xiao Changche was taken aback. "You mean poison?"

"Of course!" Li Dachui laughed as he pulled Li Kaixin's hand out from under the covers and sniffed it.

Xiao Changche narrowed his eyes, finding Li Dachui's actions too offensive.

"I smell it!" Li Dachui chuckled. "Fatty must have exchanged blows with his opponent, but he must have a fine needle between his fingers. The needle is so thin that you wouldn't feel anything if it pierced your skin. But as for the poison on the needle, do you think it would be anything good for Fatty to carry around?"

"So this person can't cure the poison themselves?"

“There’s no antidote.” Li Dachui said decisively, “Even if I can concoct the poison, if Old Master Fu doesn’t ask me, he can’t concoct an antidote in a short time. By the time he figurees out the composition of the poison, the poisoned person will have already died. What use will that be?”

"So this person would seek medical treatment?"

"Maybe they'll come looking for us!" Li Dachui said calmly.

"Who would be so stupid as to walk right into a trap?" Xiao Changche didn't believe it.

"This guy from the south managed to find Fatty right away and even ambushed him on the way. Do you believe he didn't provide him with intelligence?" Li Dachui said.

Xiao Changche's eyebrows slowly rose: "Nan Chu, Zhu Chi and his gang!"

Li Dachui nodded slightly.

"You're really asking for it!" Xiao Changche suddenly stood up.

Li Dachui reached out and pressed her back down: "What are you doing?"

"Naturally, we raided Zhu Chi's stronghold."

"I told you, he'll come to me of his own accord!" Li Dachui laughed. "Why bother?"

Inside the secret room of the calligraphy and painting shop, Zhu Chi looked at the somewhat confused Lin Yunqi, at a loss for what to do.

Zhu Chi was truly startled when he saw Lin Yunqi last night.

He never expected that Lin Yunqi, the dignified leader of the Tianluo Sect and a high-ranking official of the third rank with the title of Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, would appear in Baoping City, and in such a miserable state.

Lin Yunqi has been poisoned.

He also took the antidote he had brought with him.

However, the results don't seem to be very good.

Zhu Chi was no stranger to poisons, and the calligraphy and painting shop naturally kept antidotes on hand. However, after trying all the antidotes overnight, none of them worked.

Lin Yunqi slowly opened his eyes. Zhu Chi was both surprised and delighted. He was finally awake again. He hoped that Lin Yunqi could hold on longer this time so that he could get more clues. Otherwise, if Lin Yunqi died here, the Zhu family, which had just managed to get back on its feet, would be trampled into the ground by the raging Empress Dowager.

Lin Yunqi was the Empress Dowager's most trusted and trusted subordinate. "Minister, who exactly injured you like this?" Zhu Chi asked quickly, needing to find the culprit to have a clear objective!

"Li Kaixin." Lin Yunqi's mouth sounded like he had a piece of radish in it, making his speech somewhat unclear.

"What?" Zhu Chi was immediately dumbfounded. "You're investigating Li Kaixin because when I went back last time, I mentioned that he practices the Phoenix Flame martial art?"

Lin Yunqi nodded.

Zhu Chi found it somewhat unbelievable.

"Minister, is it worth you traveling all this way for a martial arts practitioner from the Demonic Sect? And yet, things have turned out like this? You don't know, Li Dachui studied medicine under Fu Qingzhu of Changchun Valley. Those who are proficient in medicine are naturally also highly skilled in poisons. It seems that the only way to cure your poison is to seek help from Li Dachui, but you have injured his follower. How am I supposed to explain this to him?" Zhu Chi said with distress.

Lin Yunqi said, "Don't reveal my true identity. Just tell them that I am a member of the Demonic Sect and that I came here to investigate the matter of He Qingqiu from back then."

"You're saying you're from the Demonic Sect?" Zhu Chi asked, his eyes wide with confusion.

“That Li Kaixin must have been one of He Qingqiu’s men back then!” Lin Yunqi said. “Then, is Zhou Zhi related to He Qingqiu? And what is Li Dachui’s relationship with He Qingqiu? They’re probably just mud-covered people themselves, so they certainly don’t want to make a fuss.”

"Would they believe it? Would they believe that I, a member of the Heavenly Net, would actually associate with someone from a demonic sect?"

"Why don't you believe it? Just tell me that back in the Great Chu, we often dealt with the Demonic Sect and had a few friends there. What's the big deal?"

Zhu Chi nodded. Now they had no choice but to try anything, otherwise Lin Yunqi would only face certain death.

When he realized that he was truly outmatched, Li Dachui simply wouldn't listen, so he had no choice but to tell the truth and reveal Lin Yunqi's identity.

Given that he held the rank of Minister of War in the Great Chu and was a trusted subordinate of the Empress Dowager, Li Dachui was at least worthy of making a deal with him.

Pushing open the door, it was already pitch black. It would be presumptuous to ask for an audience at this time, but there was no other way. Zhu Chi couldn't be sure if Lin Yunqi would make it to tomorrow.

To Zhu Chi's surprise, as soon as he reached the gate of the Protectorate, a guard came up to greet him.

"Boss Zhu, we're all waiting for you!"

Hearing this, Zhu Chi felt a chill run down his spine, and cold sweat poured out in waves.

What does it mean that Li Dachui is waiting for him?
If he doesn't come tonight, what awaits him?
Li Dachui and Xiao Changche, which one is a devout believer?

Wiping away a cold sweat, Zhu Chi hurriedly entered.

"Who is that person?" Xiao Changche looked at Zhu Chi and asked coldly, "Is he with you right now?"

Zhu Chi bowed and said, "Reporting to the Protector, that man's surname is Lin, and his name is Lin Quan. He is an elder of the local demonic sect. When I was still in Tianluo, I was in charge of dealing with the demonic sect, so I know him. This time, after the incident, he came to find me."

"You're the one who revealed Li Kaixin's martial arts training, aren't you?" Xiao Changche's voice grew increasingly cold.

“Protector, a few years ago I accidentally discovered that Steward Li was cultivating the Phoenix Flame, but I only reported it to the Empress Dowager when I returned to the court, and I never mentioned it to anyone else. I really don’t know how these people from the Demonic Sect knew about it.”

Xiao Changche and Li Dachui exchanged a glance; what Zhu Chi said might be true.

It seems that the Demonic Sect's infiltration of the Southern Chu court has indeed become quite profound.

"You've come today seeking an antidote?" Li Dachui asked with a smile.

"Yes!" Zhu Chi nodded repeatedly: "Protector, the power of the Demon Capital in the south is beyond your imagination. To be honest, I really don't want to offend someone as high-ranking and powerful as Lin Quan, because my family is still in the south. Since he has come to me for help, if I have the means but don't help him, they will definitely hold a grudge."

"How did Lin Quan know when Steward Li left Cheng County for Baoping City?" Li Dachui then asked.

Zhu Chi smiled wryly and said, "I dare not hide it from you two protectors. I have people from the Demonic Sect under my command, and this time it was naturally exposed. I will deal with them later."

Li Dachui nodded and stood up. He took a porcelain bottle from the bookshelf behind him and handed it to Zhu Chi: "Give this to Lin Quan. Once he's cured the poison, I want to talk to him. Tell him not to even think about running away. If he tries, I won't be so polite."

"Thank you, Protector-General!" Zhu Chi was overjoyed: "Of course I won't run away. I'm willing to vouch for you."

Watching Zhu Chi leave in a hurry, Xiao Changdao said, "I have a feeling that this guy wasn't entirely truthful, and he lied at some crucial point!"

"You can't expect someone who's spent his whole life in intelligence to tell the whole truth. Nine out of ten things he says are true, but he'll definitely lie about the most crucial parts. But it doesn't really matter. To be honest, I'm really interested in this ninth-grade Xuan Yuan cultivator of the Moon Essence Weak Water."

(End of this chapter)