From slave trader to the Immortal Lord of Ten Thousand Laws

"Cough cough cough..."

It was past noon, and the wind and rain were blowing along the riverbank.

In a simple teahouse by the roadside, Jiang She took off his straw hat. Rainwater slid down the eaves. He looked up and saw a man in a straw raincoat sitting in a secluded corner. It was none other than Ma Laosan.

He looked up, pressed his hand against the brim of his hat, and glanced at Jiang She.

"Young Master Jiang is indeed punctual."

"Cough cough cough... I dare not, I've kept you waiting."

Jiang She coughed a few times.

Old Ma glanced at him, noticing his pale face and unpleasant appearance, but seemed not to notice, and went straight to the point, asking, "Young master, have you heard anything about Miss's 'beloved' these past few days in the courtyard?"

Jiang She, holding a rough porcelain teacup and pretending to drink, paused upon hearing this, hurriedly covered his mouth and nose, and coughed violently.

"Cough cough cough... cough cough cough!"

His cough worsened, and he coughed up blood.

Dark red blood splattered violently onto his palm and the edge of the table, scattered in tiny, shocking spots.

"hiss....!"

Old Ma's face froze for a moment, then he jumped up abruptly, making the stool beneath him clang loudly. He said in a panicked voice:

"Young Master Jiang, what's wrong with you?"

"I...I don't know either..."

Jiang She shook his head, took several difficult breaths, wiped his mouth haphazardly with the back of his hand, and said weakly and intermittently:

"Starting a few days ago, I felt weak and atrophied throughout my body, with soreness and weakness in my limbs. I could manage during the day, but at night I often experienced night sweats, palpitations, and couldn't get up..."

His eyes revealed deep weariness and confusion as he looked at Ma Laosan:

"I think it's because I injured my meridians a little over a month ago, and the lingering illness has relapsed. In addition, I've been overworked lately and haven't had time to rest properly, so my health is deteriorating day by day..."

"Nonsense!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Laosan interrupted him decisively, his face grim, and said:

"Young Master Jiang, this matter is of utmost importance. You must take good care of your life."

Jiang She nodded weakly:

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Ma. I am aware of it."

Ma Laosan leaned forward slightly, pulled a flat, coarse cloth bag from under his raincoat, and gently pushed it in front of Jiang She, saying:

"I happen to have some qi-tonifying and blood-nourishing pills here, which were bestowed upon me by my master. Please take them, young master, and take one each day. Perhaps you can recover."

"How...how can this be..."

Jiang She looked at the coarse cloth bag, but did not immediately reach out to take it. He looked troubled, and his voice grew even weaker:

"How could I possibly accept such a precious gift? I am truly... unworthy of it."

"Ugh! What's with all this talk about shame!"

Old Ma frowned, his deep wrinkles deepening to reveal a hint of displeasure:

"Young Master Jiang, please don't misunderstand. This medicine I'm giving you is not a donation, nor is it out of personal affection."

His gaze was intense, fixed directly on Jiang She's eyes, and he said bluntly, "You and I are now bound together like grasshoppers on the same rope. Our fates are intertwined. Unless our master gives the order, you cannot die carelessly unless absolutely necessary!"

"Did you understand? Take it!"

After saying this, he gave Jiang She no further chance to refuse and stuffed the pouch into Jiang She's palm.

Jiang She remained silent.

When he mentioned that his qi and blood were failing, Ma Laosan brought him some qi-boosting and blood-nourishing pills.

Such timely help is too coincidental.

For now, he simply kept it, and after returning to his room, he fetched tea to take the medicine. After swallowing it, he felt a chill in his stomach.

Jiang She brought up the control panel to take a look:

"Attack: 8↓ (Poisoned)"

Defense: 8↓ (Poisoned)

Compared to the previous poisoning, this time, the value only decreased by "1" point.

"really!"

Jiang She's eyelids twitched: "If I take this pill before the poison is completely removed, I'm afraid that although I will feel better, I will still be poisoned by another kind of poison without even realizing it..."

"Why did Ma Laosan...why did he want to harm me?"

Jiang She paused for several breaths, considering all the possibilities, and finally said, "I'm afraid it's a loyal dog, protecting its master. But with three Wangyue Trading Company standing side by side, I don't know which one is plotting against Xu Qingyue."

"Now they are showing me favors so that I can become their henchman. What a clever trick of feigning one thing while secretly doing another."

Jiang sat cross-legged, his eyes flashing with cold light.

He took out pills one by one from his pouch, popped them into his mouth like candy, and then glanced at the control panel again:

"Attack: 6↓ (Poisoned)"

Defense: 6↓ (Poisoned)

"After consuming this bag of pills, will I revert to my previous state of poisoning?"

Jiang She stroked his chin: "I'm afraid that after I finish eating, that scoundrel Ma Laosan will send over some more 'tonics'."

"This won't kill me, it'll just keep me hanging on."

Jiang She gritted his teeth in a low voice, his eyes filled with rage.

Now that he has mastered the basics of "The Great Use of Heaven and Earth," he is no longer afraid of being afflicted by countless poisons.

He immediately extended his right hand and grasped the left pulse.

"puff!"

A mouthful of stagnant blood was forced out of his throat and splattered on the ground.

Jiang She immediately felt relaxed all over.

He then brought up the panel to check: "Attack -9, Defense -9, Stamina -1, Mana...3."

Mana -3?!

Jiang She's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief.

"How did my magic power increase again?"

He frowned, lost in deep thought, wondering, "I haven't cultivated the 'Qi-Inducing Scripture of Last Month,' nor have I engaged in any acts of 'replenishing energy,' so how could my magical power have increased? If there's anything different..."

His gaze was deep and fixed on the pouch:

"If there is any difference, it is that I was poisoned both times."

"Two poisonings, two antidotes, two increases in magical power..."

Jiang She's breathing gradually quickened, and a bold and absurd guess, yet perfectly aligned with the facts before him, quietly took shape in his mind.

"The matter of cultivation is inherently a struggle against the heavens."

To die from poisoning was perhaps Jiang She's fate, but to live again after being cured of the poison is to have ruined his destiny.

His fate was ruined, but his magical power increased.

"Yes...it must be so! It must be so!"

Jiang She slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice trembling slightly with excitement, carrying a wild joy of discovering a secret, and said:

"Even if Ma Laosan gives me the elixir, if I follow his wishes, I'm afraid I'll let the poison slowly grind down, and sooner or later... sooner or later my life will be in danger."

"However...."

He suddenly stopped, turned around, and took out a bracelet from his sleeve. He ran his fingertips along the inner wall of the bracelet, his eyes gleaming.

"The Great Use of Heaven and Earth! It was this Great Use of Heaven and Earth that worked! 'Upon first entering the gate, one can cure all poisons,' and it also saved me from my inevitable death!"

"After this fate was resolved, it did not dissipate into the world; instead..."

Thinking of this, Jiang She paused slightly. He lowered his head and looked at the panel again, focusing on the prominent number 3, and said:

Instead, it was transformed and absorbed by the "Great Use of Heaven and Earth," becoming... magical power!

Once this thought came to mind, Jiang She suddenly understood.

All his previous doubts and astonishment transformed into an indescribable clarity and a burning ambition, blazing fiercely within his chest...