From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

poisoned?

When?

Or is it... that Madam Xu is lying to me?!

"hiss...."

For a moment, Jiang She's thoughts were in turmoil.

His mind raced; the most important thing right now was to find the culprit who had poisoned him.

"If it was poisoning... it must have been someone I saw tonight!"

A burning pain in his throat, like being tormented by ice and fire, pierced his throat like needles, Jiang She endured the pain and called out the control panel.

His gaze was sharp as lightning, sweeping across the record of everyone he had met that day.

But they found that they were all servants and attendants.

"No useful clues at all..."

Suddenly, Jiang She's gaze paused, looking at the very bottom of the panel: "Today you have encountered a twin brother—Ma Laosan. You can spend 10,000 coins to control the twin brother."

"Twins? The older brother?!"

Tonight, Ma Gui had a long talk, his words flowing like a string of pearls, one sentence after another, so much so that Jiang She didn't have time to check the panel. Now, upon closer inspection, he found that Ma Laosan was the most suspicious.

As he thought of this, the sharp pain in his throat, like being pricked by needles, suddenly eased slightly. He swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva, and although he was still uncomfortable, he was no longer as close to death as before.

"It seems... the toxicity has lessened slightly."

Jiang She breathed a slight sigh of relief upon thinking of this.

But the poison remained unresolved, and it continued to linger like a thorn in my side.

Once the excruciating pain in his throat subsided, Jiang She immediately held his breath and focused his mind, sensing the flow of qi and blood within his body.

If it doesn't respond, that's fine.

This feeling, however, made his heart sink suddenly.

"hiss...."

"My vital energy is much weaker than before I was poisoned. Sure enough, although the poison has been temporarily suppressed, it is still continuously eroding my vital energy. If this continues, I will probably die before I even have a chance to fight..."

He glanced at the panel:

"Attack: 6↓ (Poisoned)"

Defense: 6↓ (Poisoned)

"This poison... weakened my attack and defense by a full 3 points?"

"The only way is to rely on 'The Great Use of Heaven and Earth'!"

Jiang She suppressed the waves of weakness that followed his depleted qi and blood, and took out a bracelet from his bosom. The bracelet was made of three strands of gold thread. He gently stroked the inner wall with his fingertips. The pattern was as fine as mosquito legs, winding and twisting. It was the pattern of the moves of "Qiankun Dayong Tong".

"Fortunately, I hadn't been lax in my practice and had cultivated the 'Great Use of Heaven and Earth' for quite some time; otherwise, I'm afraid this poison... wouldn't have been suppressed so easily."

Practice your skills! Practice your skills!

Now that the old Taoist priest has started refining elixirs and will not be able to leave his seclusion for a month, he has no more worries. The magical power within his body has also been fully restored, so he naturally wants to get rid of this worry in his heart first.

"Ha!"

Relax your shoulders, drop your elbows, tuck your chest, and straighten your back.

Jiang She followed the patterns engraved inside the black gold bracelet, exerting all his strength in every move.

"Bang!"

The punch was thrown silently, yet sweat had already soaked through.

The moves of "The Great Use of Heaven and Earth" were now more difficult to practice than before. Every movement felt like dragging a thousand-pound weight, pulling at the weak and unstable qi and blood in the body.

After throwing a few punches, Jiang She felt his dantian empty, his magical power quickly depleted, and his limbs and bones felt weak and sore.

However, as the techniques were practiced with difficulty, the twisted and entrenched cold poison within his body seemed to be disturbed and drawn in by the threads, beginning to intertwine and clash with the faint pure energy generated by the techniques.

"puff!"

Another small mouthful of dark, stagnant blood was forced out. Jiang She gritted his teeth, his face pale, but he dared not stop.

His shirt was instantly soaked through, clinging to his skin, and sweat poured down his forehead like a torrent.

Jiang She glanced at the panel:

"Attack: 7↓ (Poisoned)"

Defense: 7↓ (Poisoned)

Although still poisoned, the stats have improved slightly.

"Practice! We must keep practicing!"

One day, two days, three days passed. As the magical power in his dantian slowly filled up like a trickle and returned to fullness, Jiang She, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch, suddenly opened his eyes. A glint flashed in his eyes. He dared not delay. As soon as his magical power returned, he set up his fist stance and began to practice the "Great Use of Heaven and Earth".

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

"what?"

Jiang She was slightly taken aback.

This time, when I unleashed my fists and feet, I felt that it was very different from before. The sluggish feeling of being stuck in the mud and dragged by a thousand pounds had faded a lot. With the whistling wind of my fists, my blood and qi flowed more smoothly and comfortably than before.

"The toxicity has not been surging and stinging every day these past few days, and the onset seems to have greatly decreased."

"It seems the technique is working!"

Thinking of this, Jiang She felt a surge of energy and practiced even harder.

Duty time, practice, duty time, practice...

In the following days, Jiang She was busy non-stop, either going to Xu Qingyue's courtyard to serve as an instructor or staying in his room to cultivate the "Great Use of Heaven and Earth".

"Ha!"

Sink your waist, drop your elbows, punch and kick, sweat pours down your face.

As the moves were repeated, the magical power flowed and was consumed throughout the body, and the pure energy generated by the technique fiercely clashed with the lingering, cold poison.

Jiang She felt as if two armies were clashing within his body. One was like snow melting in the spring sun, melting away bit by bit; the other was like stubborn ice, retreating step by step and disintegrating inch by inch.

"Ho—!"

Unbeknownst to him, Jiang She let out a low roar, and his fist technique suddenly changed, like a crane soaring in the sky or a dragon emerging from the abyss. Each move and stance subtly exuded a harmonious and free rhythm.

"Buzz—"

His body jolted violently, and the pure and righteous energy within him surged, like a mighty river rushing through, sweeping away the cold and poisonous energy that had been entrenched in his body.

"Bang!"

In an instant, Jiang She felt a lightness all over his body, as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted. The sluggishness and weakness that had been lingering since he was poisoned vanished in an instant, leaving only a clear and ethereal feeling, as if he were riding the wind.

"It's done!"

Jiang She looked delighted.

He stopped, stood still, and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, which dissipated in the wind.

"The poison... is finally gone!"

Jiang She felt somewhat relieved, finally free from this major worry. He wiped the sweat from his brow and summoned the control panel to look at it:

Attack: 9

Defense: 9

"Stamina: 1"

"Mana: 2"

"A second layer of magic?!"

Jiang She was stunned: "To condense a single strand of magical power, one must absorb eighty-one strands of spiritual energy. I haven't cultivated the 'Qi-Inducing Scripture of the Last Month,' nor have I engaged in any energy replenishment. Where would I get a second strand of magical power?"

He paused for several breaths before coming to his senses and looking at the panel:

"Cultivation Method: The Great Application of Heaven and Earth (Introduction)"

"Could it be because of this cultivation technique?"

Before he could think further about this, he heard a knock at the door:

"Knock knock knock!"

"Young Master Jiang, it's time for your shift today."

The voice was soft and delicate; it belonged to a maid in the young lady's courtyard.

"I understand."

Jiang She responded, took a dry towel to wipe the sweat from his chest and back, changed his clothes, and then pushed open the door to go out.

...

The Xu family mansion.

Inside the triple courtyard.

Xu Qingyue sat gracefully behind the desk, with her uncle sitting opposite her. This man, since returning from praying at the Jade Mountain Temple, and having heard Xu Qingyue's detailed account of the old Taoist's supernatural powers, had been frowning deeply. Now, having reached a crucial point, he simply said:

"Moon, I have been thinking about this repeatedly these past few days. Whether it was the old Taoist priest's exorcism or his promise to heal my brother, every single thing he did was to take you as his disciple."

He paused for a few moments before calming down, picked up the slightly cooled teacup on the table, but did not drink it. Instead, he stroked the warm, smooth porcelain and continued:

"His 'fate' was applied too skillfully, and too urgently."

"Yet it was eerie in every way."

Xu Qingyue nodded slightly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes showing no surprise. She gently closed the account book she was checking, her fingertips lingering on the cover for a moment.

"What my uncle said is something I also have my own thoughts about."

"Ever since he appeared in the shop and spoke of 'fate to the immortals,' my niece has never dared to believe him."

"But..." She looked up at Xu Ningyuan, her eyes filled with worry, "Father is seriously ill and medicine is ineffective. As his children, we can't bear to part with him if there is even the slightest hope."

If he can truly save my father, even if his ambitions are far from small, my niece is willing to contend with him for a long time.

"I understand the importance of this matter."

"well..."

Xu Ningyuan sighed: "You've really suffered."

Xu Qingyue shook her head: "What's so bitter about this?"

Upon hearing his niece's words, Xu Ningyuan felt no relief; instead, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

He set down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and his eyes revealed a unique shrewdness and vigilance as he spoke frankly:

"Moon, since you are so clear-headed, I shall say a few more words."

"cough...."

He coughed lightly to clear his throat and said, "When I was young, I was fortunate enough to work in the Imperial Hospital for a while. Although I resigned and returned home early, I still kept up with the news from old friends in the capital. I also knew a little about the secrets of the court and the common people, and even the secrets of the martial arts world."

"But there is one thing that is almost certain."

"That is, since the founding of the Great Qian Dynasty, the only person under its rule who can be called an immortal is the current Imperial Preceptor!"

"Now, out of nowhere, an old Taoist priest has appeared, claiming to be an immortal, and insists on taking you as his disciple."

"If he were truly an immortal comparable to or even surpassing the Imperial Preceptor, why would he need to hide so secretively and stay in my shop? This elaborate scheme is likely an attempt to lure you into a trap..."

At this point, Xu Ningyuan's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and his tone suddenly turned stern:

"If it were my family's martial arts technique, we would have our own family members learning it. Why would we need to be hindered here and weigh the pros and cons at every turn?"

This is a family secret that has been kept hidden for nearly a hundred years.

Mentioning the cultivation technique, Xu Qingyue remembered something and hurriedly spoke softly:

"Uncle, why not teach this technique to the guards?"

"That won't do!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Ningyuan's expression tightened slightly.

He raised his head, his thick eyebrows furrowed, his eyes fixed on Xu Qingyue, his voice carrying an undeniable resolve and the authority of a family elder:

"Moon, that cultivation technique was a gift from an immortal to my ancestors, passed down to this day in the hope that one day a descendant will have the destiny to become an immortal. How can we just casually and freely impart it to outsiders to learn?"

Faced with her father's firm rejection, Xu Qingyue smiled. Her eyelashes fluttered, her almond-shaped eyes sparkled, and she said with a smile:

"Uncle, don't be anxious."

How could my niece not know the value of this technique? What my niece is saying is not that she intends to hand over our family's foundation to others.

Xu Ningyuan was taken aback by her words. His previous resolute demeanor faltered, and he looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"you mean......?"

Xu Qingyue smiled and said, "Uncle, have you forgotten? My family's cultivation method is divided into a practice method and a mental cultivation scripture. Only by combining the two can one cultivate immortality and refine qi."

"That's true."

Xu Ningyuan nodded.

Xu Qingyue laughed and chatted. She paused, her eyes darting around, and continued:

"We don't need to risk our lives. We just need to teach the training method to the guards, pretending it's a reward from the master, and then... we can just stand by and watch what happens."

"That training method is no different from the boxing manual. It is a trick to select immortal talents. If there is a person among the guards who is truly blessed and has a trace of immortal talent, he will definitely make great progress than ordinary people when he practices this method."

"We will just watch in secret. If our family truly has such a person, we will cater to his desires. If he is greedy for gold and silver, we will grant him immense wealth. If he is obsessed with beauty, we will give him a peerless beauty. If he craves power and status, our family can also help him rise to the top! As long as he can be used by our family, what are a few external things worth?"

At this point, Xu Qingyue hesitated for a moment, bit her lower lip lightly, a resolute look flashing in her eyes. Then she raised her eyes and looked firmly at Xu Ningyuan:

"If ordinary gold, silver, beautiful women, high positions, and generous salaries cannot sway his heart, then perhaps his ambitions are too great to be bound by external things. That niece... will offer herself to the tiger, making him completely and utterly 'one of our own'!"

Xu Ningyuan was shocked upon hearing this.

He suddenly looked up, his eyes wide, staring incredulously at his niece.

"Moon, are you implying... you want him to marry into your family?!"

Xu Qingyue nodded: "For the sake of my family's reputation, Yue'er should do this."

Xu Ningyuan was stunned for a moment, but then he heard a report from outside the door:

"Miss, Young Master Jiang has arrived."

"Let him in."

"Yes."

The servants outside the door were very respectful. After she said, "Young Master Jiang, please," the door was gently pushed open.

"Squeak!"

Jiang She pushed open the door and came in.

He clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, but did not raise his head, only bowing as he said:

"This humble servant, Jiang She, greets Miss."

"Young Master Jiang, there's no need for such formalities."

Xu Qingyue spoke softly, glancing up at the door.

Jiang She stood with his head bowed by the door, while Xu Qingyue sat dignified at the head of the table, with a screen separating the two of them.

Xu Qingyue raised her eyes, her gaze passing over the screen and fixed on Jiang She, who was standing bowing outside the door.

She watched for a while without speaking, but instead turned her head and softly asked the person opposite her:

"Uncle, what do you think of this young man Jiang outside the door? What is his character and temperament like?"

She asked the question tactfully, her voice extremely soft, like a wad of cotton wool gently drifting past my ear.

Xu Ningyuan also raised his eyes, looked Jiang She up and down for a while through the screen, and then slowly said:

"Jiang She and his family have served as servants of the Xu family for three generations, and their loyalty is beyond question. Their bravery was also evident when they protected you and were seriously injured. Now, as the head instructor in the academy, they have arranged their new duties in a clear and orderly manner without any mistakes, which shows their meticulousness and composure."

"He was able to manage all the affairs in a very short time; he is indeed a capable person."

Xu Ningyuan paused, carefully considering his words:

"But his meridians are damaged, and he has lost all his power. He is already like a cripple. If you still have the idea of ​​testing whether he has any immortal potential, I advise you... to give up as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingyue smiled:

"Uncle, you misunderstand. What my niece values ​​is not whether he himself can cultivate that method."

"Oh?"

Xu Ningyuan was taken aback upon hearing this: "Then which one do you fancy?"

Xu Qingyue suppressed her smile and said seriously, "So that Uncle knows, what I value in him is his exceptional teaching skills!"

"Uncle, have you forgotten? In the previous competition in the courtyard, that mediocre young Sun, after being instructed by Jiang She, was able to defeat Liu Shun, who was far superior to him in strength, age, and experience, in just three days!"

"Such a skill in teaching, turning the rotten into the miraculous, is something that ordinary martial artists cannot possess. He must have unique methods and insights into martial arts, the breakdown of moves, or teaching according to aptitude."

She paused, her eyes shining even brighter:

Therefore, what my niece is thinking is that he should give it to someone else.