While on Mount Hua, my mind is at peace!

Chapter 79 Hearing your words is better than reading a year's worth of books.

There's poison in the wine!

This simple fact is so unbelievable. Everyone present was a seasoned veteran; whenever they drank, they would always examine the color and smell of the alcohol. Even so, they all fell for it without exception.

Could it be that there really is a completely colorless, odorless, and undetectable poison in this world? If so, that would be truly terrifying.

The group silently circulated their internal energy for a while, only to find it had no effect, and their spirits plummeted. To this day, they didn't even know what kind of poison they had been given, let alone who had administered it.

Suddenly, Deng Jun said, "The hall master sitting next to Hall Master Jin, yes, that's you. Stop pretending, this was all your doing, wasn't it?"

All eyes turned to the hall master's face. He looked bewildered, seemingly not understanding what Deng Jun was saying. After a while, the bewilderment faded, replaced by a nauseating cunning.

"Heh... Everyone says that Commander Deng is nominally a protector, but in reality, he's the acting leader of the Great Wind Gang. He truly is a remarkable figure. How did you see through my disguise?"

Deng Jun smiled faintly and did not answer.

Xiong Tianba demanded sharply, "Who exactly are you? What have you done to my men?"

The man slowly ate a bite of food and said, "Anyway, you still have a while before you die, so I'll let you die knowing why. I am Tang Chenyu, a disciple of Lady Canghua."

"What you have been poisoned with is the 'Ant Hole Powder' from the Tang Clan of Sichuan. This poison smells similar to alcohol. It can be added repeatedly, in very small amounts each time, and will knock you out without anyone noticing. This is exactly what the ancient saying 'A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole' means."

"As for Chief Xiong's subordinate... in order to prevent him from causing trouble, I can only ask him to go to the Yellow Springs first and wait for Chief Xiong."

"You!" Xiong Tianba's eyes were bloodshot. He tried to get up, but he couldn't muster any strength. He could only stare dejectedly at Tang Chenyu.

Deng Jun sighed, "So that's how it is. It's not that the Tang Clan's poison is particularly potent, but rather that your methods are exceptionally skillful, brother. It's not in vain that I, Deng Jun, have fallen for your methods. But I don't understand why a disciple of the Tang Clan would take the infamous Lady Canghua as their master?"

Tang Chenyu put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth: "Oh? My master has a bad reputation? Who told you that?"

Deng Jun seemed oblivious to the ill intent in Tang Chenyu's tone, and said sincerely:

"All the righteous people in the martial arts world say that Madam Canghua looks like a fairy, but she is an absolute whore. No matter her social status, as long as you can tell her a few jokes and make her happy, she will take whatever she wants from you."

"Brother Tang, judging from your demeanor, you don't seem like a greenhorn. How could you not see through that scoundrel's true colors? It's not too late to pull back from the brink."

Tang Chenyu remained silent for a long while, then sighed:

"Hearing your words is worth more than reading ten years of books. I know Lady Canghua's character better than anyone else. But since I have already become her disciple, how can I be a traitor who kills his master? Brother Deng, seeing that your words are sincere, I will let you go. If we meet again in the future, we will still be enemies."

Tang Chenyu walked to Deng Jun's side, pinching a faintly fragrant pill between his thumb and forefinger, and asked Deng Jun, "Brother Deng, do you believe me? If you do, open your mouth; if you don't, then forget it."

Deng Jun smiled slightly and opened his mouth. Tang Chenyu loosened his fingers, and the pill fell, only to be suddenly cleaved in two by a single-edged sword. Deng Jun swiftly struck out with his palm, aiming for Tang Chenyu's abdomen; at the same time, Chen Ji's single-edged sword also slashed down towards Tang Chenyu's head.

Tang Chenyu took a step back, his hands rising slightly. The two flying cones collided head-on with Deng Jun's palm strike and Chen Ji's single blade, falling to the ground. Tang Chenyu let out a soft exclamation, then took another step back. Seeing that Deng Jun and Chen Ji were no longer moving, he was certain they were truly finished this time, and only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

"I must say, your skills far exceed my initial expectations." Tang Chenyu's tone couldn't help but reveal a hint of admiration. "I thought I had dragged this out long enough, but I didn't expect you to still have the strength to fight back. I'm becoming more and more curious about that mysterious leader of the Great Wind Gang."

Deng Jun's powerful strike had not only exhausted his remaining internal energy but also worsened his poisoning symptoms. He opened his mouth to speak but couldn't help coughing twice, spitting out wisps of blood onto the tableware in front of him.

"Don't worry, he will come looking for you," Deng Jun said with a faint smile.

Tang Chenyu smiled and shook his head, then caught a glimpse of a man and two women walking in through the door. The boy was carrying a girl on his back, with another girl beside him. The girl beside him carried a long sword on her shoulder, with a black package hanging from the hilt, from which drops of liquid were constantly seeping.

Tang Chenyu was stunned. He had clearly arranged for Xie family's black-clad assassins to control the perimeter, so how did these three young men get in? Could they be helpers sent by the Xie family?

He thought it over and over, and felt that this was the only possibility. Otherwise, no matter how skilled these three young men were, they couldn't have sneaked in silently. He frowned and said to the leader of the group, "Whose subordinate are you? What are you doing here? And what's that hanging on your sword?"

Yue Feng said to Xiong Zhaozhao, "Show him." Xiong Zhaozhao snorted coldly, her longsword vibrated, and the bundle slowly flew towards Tang Chenyu.

Tang Chenyu reached out and caught it, placing it on the table. He opened it and saw that it was indeed his beloved master. Tang Chenyu cried out and raised his hand, only to see that his hand was covered in blood, all flowing from Madam Canghua's head.

"You...you...you actually killed my master! I will tear you to pieces! Tear you to pieces!"

Tang Chenyu charged at Yue Feng with frenzied force, his fists whistling through the air, his martial arts surprisingly formidable. Yue Feng countered with a powerful palm strike, employing the forceful palm technique of Yu the Great splitting mountains. Blood flowed from Tang Chenyu's seven orifices, all his bones shattered, and he was sent flying backward even faster than he had come, crashing into the wall with a resounding boom.

[Accessibility +50]

Yue Feng killed Tang Chenyu with a single palm strike, then set Yue Lingshan down and made her sit in a chair. He rushed to the others and, starting with Deng Jun and Chen Ji, began to expel the poison from them one by one using his internal energy. The poisoning was severe, and even with Yue Feng's powerful internal energy, it took him about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea to complete the treatment.

Everyone who had survived the ordeal was extremely grateful to Yue Feng. Yue Feng, eager to settle Yue Lingshan, gave a few perfunctory words and then handed the matter over to Xiong Tianba.

Yue Feng instructed Xiong Zhaozhao to prepare a side room for Yue Lingshan, near his own room; he also sent someone to the south gate to inform Linghu Chong and the others. The commotion continued until late at night, and just as things seemed to calm down, someone knocked on the door again:

"Young Master Feng, the two protectors of the Great Wind Gang request an audience."