Wuxia Across the Heavens: I Collect Side Effects

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, a commotion broke out in the village.

Someone discovered the sack on the platform. After untying it, they were horrified to find Ah Xiu already lifeless. Only then did the villagers realize that Ah Xiu had been murdered.

Surprisingly, the villagers showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, they all breathed a sigh of relief and whispered among themselves, "That's good, that's good, this makes us feel a bit better."

After all, the punishment of being bitten by a poisonous creature was too cruel. The woman was tortured to the point of wishing she were dead. Rather than slowly waiting to die in endless pain, she would rather die and be free from suffering.

No one bothered to investigate who did it; in their eyes, it was perhaps the woman's deserved fate, a kind of liberation.

At this moment, Su Xin had already left the village and was following the clues, walking quickly towards Ghost Face Gorge.

He knew that the village was remote and isolated, and that he, an outsider, had rashly appeared and interfered with their "rules." If he stayed too long, it would inevitably cause trouble. His primary goal was to find the poisonous spider, and he didn't want to get into unnecessary trouble.

After a long journey, Ghost Face Gorge suddenly appeared before our eyes.

This canyon was formed by the fracture of a giant peak called "Ghost Face Mountain". The mountain is composed of brown and grayish-white rocks, and from a distance, its outline looks like a hideous ghost face, hence the name Ghost Face Canyon.

The cliffs on both sides of the canyon are as steep and precipitous as if they were cut by a knife and axe, with only a narrow, winding path leading to the bottom of the valley.

The valley floor is perpetually shrouded in darkness, with a damp and chilly atmosphere pervading the air. The ground is covered with swamps and poisonous pools, the water of which shimmers with an eerie dark green hue. A faint miasma permeates the air, and inhaling just a few breaths will make one dizzy. Ordinary people simply cannot stay here for long.

Su Xin circulated his internal energy to protect his heart meridian and resist the invasion of miasma, his gaze fixed on the nose of the "ghost face" on Ghost Face Mountain.

That was the place that the woman, Ah Xiu, had mentioned before her death, where her collection was kept.

He thought to himself that he should first check Ah Xiu's collection. If there happened to be a Ghost-faced Spider among them, it would save him the trouble of going deeper into the mountains to search, saving him time and effort.

He stepped onto the narrow, slippery path, with a bottomless valley beneath his feet, where a slight misstep could lead to a fall.

Fortunately, Su Xin had practiced martial arts since childhood and possessed superb lightness skills. He moved with the agility of a monkey, steadily advancing along the path, and soon arrived at the nose of the "ghost face".

On the rock face, a lush green camellia was in full bloom, its vigorous growth concealing the traces behind it.

Su Xin stepped forward, gently moved the camellia aside, and sure enough, there was a cave entrance cleverly concealed by tree branches. If he hadn't been looking for it deliberately and had a keen eye for observation, he probably wouldn't have been able to find this hidden cave.

Su Xin bent down and entered the cave. The cave was not spacious, but it was well-maintained. The surrounding area was full of small holes of different sizes, each of which was carefully sealed with bamboo strips, which could both allow ventilation and prevent the poisonous creatures inside from escaping.

He leaned closer to the small hole and peered through the gaps in the bamboo strips, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

Sure enough, the cave contained several kinds of poisonous creatures, including the ghost-faced spider, the golden-threaded spider, and the red-banded spider that he had come to find.

Su Xin was overjoyed and quickly took out three specially made wooden boxes that he had prepared in advance from his bag. He carefully opened the bamboo strips, captured the three kinds of poisonous spiders, put them into the boxes one by one, and sealed them properly.

Thus, he has successfully achieved his goal for this trip to Yunnan.

He looked at the wooden box in his hand and thought to himself: I have to thank Ah Xiu for all of this.

Unfortunately, when he made his move yesterday, Ah Xiu was already too deeply poisoned to be saved.

However, since he had accepted Ah Xiu's kindness, he would not let her die a tragic death in vain. If he ever encountered the person who caused her to lose her virginity and indirectly led to her tragic death, he would definitely help her avenge herself, so as not to fail her dying wish.

Su Xin dared not delay. He put away the wooden box, turned around and left the cave. He quickly walked out of Ghost Face Gorge and left Yunnan without stopping.

As he traveled north, passing by the foot of Mount Hua, he overheard that the Mount Hua Sect was now a completely different place.

Xianyu Tong, riding high on his success, used his treacherous and cunning methods to frame his senior brother Bai Yuan and pin the blame on the Ming Cult, ultimately succeeding in taking the throne of the Huashan Sect leader.

As night fell, all was quiet on Mount Hua, except for the lights still on in the sect leader's residence, which was Xianyu Tong's place.

As night deepened and all was quiet, Su Xin flashed like a black shadow to the eaves of Xianyu Tong's house. He lightly touched the tiles with his toes, making no sound whatsoever.

He glanced down at the lights on inside the room, a cold smile playing on his lips. With a flick of his wrist, a small pebble carrying a sealed letter shot into the room like an arrow.

With a "whoosh," a pebble carrying a letter slammed heavily onto the table, shattering the tranquility of the room.

Xianyu Tong, who was flipping through files under the lamp, suddenly looked up, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes. He then got up, walked over, picked up the letter on the table, and slowly opened it.

On the letter, the handwriting was vigorous and bold, and the signature "Hu Qingniu" was clearly written at the bottom.

Xianyu Tong's pupils contracted slightly, then he sneered, his face showing disdain: "So it's that good-for-nothing Hu Qingniu. I suppose he's here to avenge that bitch Hu Qingyang."

The letter contained only a few words, inviting him to come to the Cliff of Contemplation at midnight tonight to settle past grievances.

After reading the letter, Xianyu Tong casually crumpled it up and snorted coldly, "Since you're courting death, then I'll grant your wish."

He already knew that Hu Qingniu was not skilled in martial arts.

He tidied himself up, changed into his best clothes, and quietly left the room, following the clues hinted at in the letter, heading towards the Cliff of Contemplation.

Su Xin stood on the edge of the cliff, his posture as upright as a pine tree. He concentrated his strength at his fingertips and shot out a series of sharp finger gusts, accurately targeting Xianyu Tong on the other side.

Xian Yutong had long lost the dignity of a Huashan Sect master. He was struck by Su Xin's finger strikes and staggered repeatedly, rolling on the ground in a sorry state, looking like a rolling gourd.

His body was covered with tiny holes, each emitting a faint black aura—signs of the Thousand Spider Poison Hand's poison invading his body. He was in so much pain that his whole body convulsed and he was covered in cold sweat.

He struggled to sit up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. His eyes were filled with venom as he looked at Su Xin opposite him. His voice was hoarse, tinged with resentment and confusion: "Why...why did you kill me? I had no grudge against you, we'd never even met!"

Su Xin looked down at him, her expression icy, her tone completely flat, and simply asked, "Do you remember a girl named A-Xiu from Miao territory?"

"Ah Xiu?" Xianyu Tong was startled, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes. He quickly regained his composure, but the tremor in his voice was undeniable.

"You...you were sent by Ah Xiu to seek revenge? That bitch, she actually poisoned me and dared to send someone to bother me!"

Su Xin shook his head, then nodded.

This puzzled Xianyu Tong. What did this mean?