From the beginning of Swordsman, he created a legend in the martial arts world.

Tian Boguang suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashing with shock, anger, and reluctance.

Martial arts manuals, especially unique skills like these, are the foundation for a person in the martial arts world to make a living, and are even more important than life itself.

"What? You don't want to?"

Meng Fei's eyes suddenly turned cold, and killing intent surged again. "Then there's no need to 'repent'."

Tian Boguang shivered, looked down at the blood-stained paper and pen on the ground, then at Meng Fei's cold eyes, and finally glanced at Linghu Chong beside him, whose expression was complicated but who remained silent. He knew in his heart that this was his only chance.

"Okay... I'll write..."

Tian Boguang uttered three words with difficulty, then reached out his trembling hand towards the paper and pen on the ground.

In front of the desolate local temple, Tian Boguang, enduring the excruciating pain in his chest, prostrated himself on the ground with a heart full of humiliation, meticulously writing down on paper the secrets of his two signature skills that made him famous throughout the martial arts world—the "Wandering Alone for Ten Thousand Miles" lightness skill and the "Swift Blade of the Gale" sword technique.

In less than half an hour, several pages of paper, stained with ink, were handed to Meng Fei.

Although Tian Boguang was unwilling to give away the unique skill that made him famous, he forced himself to endure the humiliation in order to save his life.

Tian Boguang's face was ashen, his eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions: pleading, resentment, and deep reluctance.

"Young Master Meng... cough cough... the manual is here, word for word... I have finished writing it as you instructed, now... can you spare my life?"

Meng Fei casually took the few pages of paper and quickly scanned them.

Although he had never practiced such lightness skills and swordsmanship, with his current knowledge of martial arts and the foundation of the Thirteen Deadly Swords, he could tell from a little analysis that the key points were exquisite and not just made up.

"Not bad, it seems you're smart enough not to try anything funny in order to save your life," Meng Fei said calmly.

Upon hearing this, Tian Boguang felt a slight sense of relief and struggled to get up: "Then... I'll take my leave!"

As he spoke, he turned to leave, wanting nothing more than to get away from this scourge that had caused him such a humiliation.

"Wait a moment."

The cold voice acted like a spell, freezing Tian Boguang in place.

He slowly turned his head, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Young Master Meng... is there anything else you need? The manual... has already been given to you."

Meng Fei stepped forward slowly and calmly, with a smile that was almost cruelly calm on his face, and stopped about ten feet in front of Tian Boguang.

"I told you I would spare your life."

Meng Fei's voice was not loud, but every word was clear.

"But... this is just 'spare your life.' To prevent you from committing evil again in the future, you need to do one more thing."

As he spoke, Meng Fei took out a small celadon bottle from his pocket, poured out a pill about the size of a soybean, with a bright green color and a faint, strange sweet fragrance, and held it in his palm.

"This is……?"

Tian Boguang's pupils contracted slightly as he stared at the green pill, a sense of foreboding washing over him.

"poison."

Meng Fei spoke frankly, his tone light as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"This item is called 'Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill'."

"Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill?"

At this moment, not only Tian Boguang looked hesitant, but even Linghu Chong, who was recuperating from his injuries, couldn't help but look over.

Meng Fei glanced at Linghu Chong, then explained to Tian Boguang, "As the name suggests, it is made by combining seven poisonous flowers with different and complementary properties with the venom essence of seven highly poisonous insects, using a secret method."

"This medicine will not take your life immediately. Even when it takes effect on the fifteenth of each month, it will only make you suffer a little. At that time, your internal organs will feel like they are being eaten by insects and ants, and your vital energy will be disordered. But you will get through it and won't die."

Then, he turned his gaze to Linghu Chong and continued, "From now on, every year on the fifteenth of August, on the night of the full moon, if you want to get through it safely, you will need to take a specially made antidote to suppress the poison."

"I will send someone to Mount Hua to give to Brother Linghu for safekeeping. You only need to go to Mount Hua and ask Brother Linghu for it."

Meng Fei stepped forward again, his gaze as cold as ice piercing Tian Boguang, his voice suddenly turning cold: "But... if you continue to do evil... the poison of this 'Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill' will gradually seep in and erode your internal organs. Without any external force, after a month, your internal organs will slowly turn into pus and blood from the inside out. At that time, even a Great Immortal would find it difficult to save you."

Seeing Tian Boguang's ever-changing expression, Meng Fei's lips curled into a mocking smile: "As for your oaths and vows just now, in my opinion, they are nothing but worthless nonsense. I've seen plenty of treacherous and faithless people in the martial world. Now, I'll give you two choices—"

Meng Fei opened his palm, and the emerald green pill lay quietly in his hand.

"Take this medicine, be bound by it, and let your future actions prove whether you have truly reformed."

"Or, you can try it now and see if your neck is harder or my sword is sharper."

Tian Boguang stared intently at the tiny pill, veins throbbing on his forehead, struggling incessantly.

Taking the medicine means that one's life and death will be in the hands of others from now on. What's even more terrifying is that if Meng Fei changes his mind one day, or "forgets" to deliver the antidote... wouldn't one suffer endless torment and die?

"You're not convinced?" He glanced down at the wound on his chest, then at Meng Fei's cold eyes. He knew that the consequences of refusal would come at this moment.

Immediately, Tian Boguang turned his pleading gaze to Linghu Chong again, hoping that he could speak up and stop this harsh restriction.

However, when Linghu Chong met his gaze, a complex expression flashed across his face. He recalled Meng Fei's question about "indulging evil" and the women who had been insulted.

In the end, he moved his lips, but simply looked away, tacitly agreeing with Meng Fei's actions.

Seeing that things had come to this point and there was no room for maneuver, a look of despair flashed in Tian Boguang's eyes.

He then abruptly closed his eyes, as if trying to swallow all the humiliation, resentment, and unwillingness.

After taking a deep breath, he reached out his trembling hand and took the "Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill" from Meng Fei's hand. Without even looking at it, he tilted his head back and swallowed it!

The pill went down my throat, bringing a strange, cool, and slippery sensation, which then transformed into a faint, strangely sweet and fishy warm current that spread throughout my body.

When he opened his eyes again, the resentment and unwillingness in them were all suppressed, leaving only a numb, deathly stillness.

"I've already taken the medicine. Is it okay now?"

His tone carried a hint of resignation and dejection.

However, when Meng Fei looked at him, there was not a trace of pity in his eyes, only a calm and almost cold scrutiny.

Upon hearing Tian Boguang's words, he did not answer immediately. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, as if he was thinking about something. Then he spoke again, his voice still calm, but it made Tian Boguang and Linghu Chong's hearts sink at the same time.

"You've taken the medicine, and the restraints are in place, but..."

He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Tian Boguang's legs.

"I suddenly thought of a problem. The 'Seven Insects and Seven Flowers Pill' takes a month to become fatal. If you are filled with resentment and are willing to risk death from the poison to harm innocent people within a year using your lightness skills and swordsmanship... then wouldn't this restriction be completely useless?"

"Instead, I'll cripple one of your legs. That way, you'll be unable to move easily, and even if you have evil intentions, you won't be able to escape being hunted down. That's the real 'just in case'."

"you……!!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Boguang was struck dumb. His eyes were fixed on Meng Fei, his face drained of color, and his lips trembled. Due to extreme shock and fear, he was unable to utter a complete sentence for a moment.

He never imagined that this seemingly young and composed man could be so deep and ruthless!

Not only did they use poison to control his life and death, but they also wanted to break his leg, completely crippling his greatest asset! This sent chills down his spine and filled him with despair even more than if he had been killed!