Chapter 68

Dong Zong's victory came as no surprise; three matches, three victories, and all were overwhelming. The remaining two matches were not even necessary. Zuo Zimu felt a great sense of pride, his face beaming like a flower. However, his neighbor Xin Shuangqing looked miserable, his face ashen.

Just as everyone was enjoying the moment, a person suddenly burst through the door, falling to the ground with a thud. Zuo Zimu was shocked and exclaimed, "Brother Rong!"

Everyone was surprised by this unexpected turn of events. Gong Guangjie, who had not yet turned around, helped Rong Ziju up, exclaiming, "Uncle Rong, what... what happened to you?" Zuo Zimu rushed forward and saw that Rong Ziju's eyes were wide open, his face full of anger, but there was no breath in his nose or mouth. He was greatly alarmed and tried to revive Rong Ziju, but to no avail. Who could have killed Rong Ziju?

In Wuliang Sect, Rong Ziju's martial arts were only slightly inferior to Zuo Zimu's, and both had made great progress over the years, which gave Zuo Zimu great confidence. Now, with Rong Ziju, whose skills were only slightly inferior to his, dead, how could he not be shocked?

He turned Rong Ziju over and saw his clothes open. With a flick, he revealed eight large characters: "Shennong Sect exterminates Wuliang Sword!"

Everyone gasped in unison. These eight characters were deeply etched into the skin, not written with ink or carved with a sharp object, but written with a highly toxic substance that had corroded the skin.

"How ruthless, Shennong Sect's methods are so cruel!" Zuo Zimu was furious, his long sword trembling with a buzzing sound. He shouted, "Let's see if Shennong Sect exterminates Wuliang Sword or if Wuliang Sword exterminates Shennong Sect. This grudge must be avenged, or what kind of person would I be?" He then examined Rong Ziju's body and found no other wounds, and shouted, "Guanghao, Guangjie, go check outside!"

Gan Guanghao and Gong Guangjie, two disciples, each brandished their long swords and responded.

The hall was in chaos, and everyone was whispering. They had not expected such an event during what was supposed to be a simple viewing. Ma Wude pondered, "Shennong Sect is becoming more and more outrageous. Brother Zuo, how did they come to have a grudge with your sect?"

Zuo Zimu, grieving over his junior brother's tragic death, choked and said, "It was over herbal gathering. Last autumn, four Shennong Sect hall masters came to Jianhu Palace to request permission to gather a few herbs from our back mountain. Gathering herbs is not a big deal; Shennong Sect originally made a living by gathering and selling herbs. Although they had no close ties with us, there were no grudges. But Brother Ma must know that our back mountain is not easily accessible to outsiders. Even our good friends have never been allowed to visit. This is a rule passed down by our ancestors, which we, as juniors, dare not violate. It's not really important..."

As he spoke, Duan Yu also curiously approached to listen. Upon hearing the reason, he could not help but loudly condemn Shennong Sect. However, Bai Xiaosheng's attention was elsewhere; he had already looked up and saw a girl swinging her legs and cracking sunflower seeds, watching the chaos below with interest.

This girl was Zhong Ling, who appeared very clever, with a radiant smile and large, sparkling eyes.

Zhong Ling did not appear often in "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber," but she was extremely spirited, similar to Huang Rong, and was very much liked by Bai Xiaosheng. Today, he could not help but praise her in his heart.

Meanwhile, Gan Guanghao and Gong Guangjie returned. Gan Guanghao said, "Master, Shennong Sect has gathered on the opposite mountain, blocking the mountain path and saying that no one is allowed to leave. We saw that they were many, and without your command, we did not dare to act rashly."

Zuo Zimu asked, "How many people are there?"

Gan Guanghao replied, "About seventy or eighty."

Zuo Zimu sneered, "Seventy or eighty people think they can exterminate Wuliang Sword? I don't think it will be that easy."

Gong Guangjie added, "They shot an arrow with a letter, and the envelope was written in a very disrespectful manner." He then presented the letter.

Zuo Zimu looked at the envelope, his brows furrowed. At that moment, Zhong Ling called out, "Hey, you're holding a letter full of poison. Aren't you afraid of being poisoned?" Her sudden voice startled everyone, and Gong Guangjie was so frightened that he dropped the letter and began to rub his hands. Soon, his hands turned black, and he screamed in terror.

Zuo Zimu was also startled and did not know how to proceed. He wanted to check Gong Guangjie's pulse but was afraid of Shennong Sect's poison. As he hesitated, Gong Guangjie convulsed and fell to the ground, his eyes rolling back.

Bai Xiaosheng stood up and said, "Patriarch Zuo, let me handle it!" He had already regained his composure when Zhong Ling spoke and could not ignore Gong Guangjie's condition, given their years of neighborly relations.

Approaching, Bai Xiaosheng lightly tapped Gong Guangjie's acupoints, quickly stopping his convulsions. However, his hands remained black.

Bai Xiaosheng frowned and said, "Shennong Sect's poison is very potent!" He then used his hand to lift Gong Guangjie and placed him on the back of a chair. He lightly waved his left hand, piercing Gong Guangjie's right acupoint and placing his left arm behind his back, saying, "Circulate your inner strength!"

Gong Guangjie did not dare to hesitate and immediately circulated his inner strength. The speed of the poison in his body increased, and soon, drops of black blood began to flow from the puncture, and his hands gradually returned to their normal color.

"Thank you, Patriarch Bai!" Zuo Zimu was greatly relieved and thanked Bai Xiaosheng.

Bai Xiaosheng shook his head and said, "The poison has been expelled, but his vital energy is greatly damaged. He needs to rest and should not engage in combat today."

"Guangjie, did you hear that? Thank Patriarch Bai for saving your life," Zuo Zimu immediately instructed. Gong Guangjie also thanked Bai Xiaosheng, wanting to bow, but was stopped by him.

At this moment, Zuo Zimu looked up at the girl on the beam and shouted, "Who are you? Are you from Shennong Sect?"

Zhong Ling retorted, "Pah! I'm not from Shennong Sect. You're talking nonsense!"

Zuo Zimu frowned and asked, "Then how did you know the letter was poisonous?"

Zhong Ling laughed, "The poisoning technique is very crude. I could tell at a glance. These clumsy methods can only harm the ignorant." Everyone's brows furrowed, and they were somewhat alarmed, as they had not noticed the poison on the letter.

Bai Xiaosheng smiled and said, "May I ask for your name, young lady?"

Zhong Ling looked at Bai Xiaosheng, her eyes twinkling, and said, "You can know my name if you tell me your method of detoxification."

"Ha ha..." Bai Xiaosheng laughed and said, "My detoxification method is not difficult to learn. As long as you have martial arts skills, you can master it." This method was based on the segment in "The Return of the Condor Heroes" where Ouyang Feng helped Yang Guo detoxify, and it was very effective. It involved circulating inner strength to reverse the flow of toxins in the body, expelling them through the blood. Anyone with martial arts skills would understand this method, and it was very useful, as it had even detoxified the famous Ice Soul Silver Needle.

Bai Xiaosheng was not one to keep his knowledge to himself. Noticing that everyone was listening, he said, "This method is simple. The poisoned person should be inverted, and inner strength should be used to reverse the flow of blood in the body."

Zhong Ling's eyes twinkled, and she said, "Alright! I'll tell you, my name is Zhong Ling!"

"Zhong Ling..." Bai Xiaosheng smiled and said, "You are surnamed Zhong and are proficient in poisons, so you must be from the Wanjie Valley."

"Wanjie Valley, Ma Wangshen Zhong Wanqiu..." Everyone gasped, as Zhong Wanqiu was not a good person but a notorious figure, skilled in martial arts and poisons, and well-known in Dali.

Above, Zhong Ling clapped her hands and said, "You're very smart, guessing my background. Yes, Zhong Wanqiu is my father."

"Ah, it's Miss Zhong. I, Zuo Zimu, greet you." Zuo Zimu stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Miss Zhong, our Wuliang Sect is in a precarious situation. It would be best for you to leave quickly."

Out of respect for Zhong Wanqiu, or perhaps to avoid his revenge if his precious daughter were to die here, Zuo Zimu specifically mentioned this. However, Zhong Ling immediately said, "They won't kill me. Shennong Sect only kills Wuliang Sword members. I heard the news on the road and came to see the spectacle. Old man with the long beard, your sword skills are good, but you don't know how to use poisons, so you can't match Shennong Sect."

These words hit the weakness of "Wuliang Sword." If it came to a real fight, Wuliang Sword, with its East and West Sects, plus the eight invited experts from other sects, would not be defeated by Shennong Sect. However, when it came to poisons, they were completely clueless.

Zuo Zimu was angry but, considering his position, asked, "What news did you hear on the road?" His tone was already quite impolite, and he did not fully trust Zhong Ling.

To his surprise, Zhong Ling was just trying to provoke him and asked, "Do you eat sunflower seeds?"

Zuo Zimu's face turned slightly purple. If not for the enemy outside and his concern for her father, he would have already lost his temper. He forced himself to remain calm and said, "No, I don't eat them!"

Zhong Ling was not angry and laughed, then turned her gaze to Bai Xiaosheng and asked, "Do you eat them?"

Bai Xiaosheng was taken aback but laughed and said, "If you offer, I won't refuse!" He leaped forward, appearing beside Zhong Ling in a flash, sat down next to her, and took the sunflower seeds she offered, cracking them and eating them. "Not bad, a bit bitter, but the aftertaste is pleasant!"

His agility surprised everyone, who thought, "What excellent lightness skills!" Even Zhong Ling was startled but quickly recovered, her eyes wide with curiosity as she praised, "Your lightness skills are amazing!"

"Thank you for the compliment!" Bai Xiaosheng looked at the people below and asked, "Miss, what news did you hear on the road? Can you tell us?"

Zhong Ling nodded and said, "I heard Shennong Sect talking about something called 'Wuliang Jade Wall.' What is that?"

Zuo Zimu was taken aback, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and said, "Wuliang Jade Wall? Is there a jade or a wall in Wuliang Mountain? I've never heard of it. Sister Shuangqing, have you heard of it?"

Xin Shuangqing had not yet answered when Zhong Ling interjected, "She hasn't heard of it. You two don't need to put on a show. If you don't want to say, just don't. Humph, it's not that rare."

Zuo Zimu looked embarrassed and said, "Ah, I remember now. What Shennong Sect is talking about is probably the Mirror Stone on the White Dragon Peak of Wuliang Mountain. This stone is as smooth as a mirror and can reflect hair. Some say it's a piece of jade, but it's actually just a white, smooth stone."

Zhong Ling said, "Why didn't you say that earlier? Since you've told me, I'll tell you too. One day, I was catching snakes in the mountains to feed my lightning marten. I was in the bushes when I heard some people walking by. One said, 'If we don't kill every last person in Wuliang Sword and take over Wuliang Mountain, we'll all slit our throats.' I thought it would be interesting to see everyone killed, so I stayed quiet. I heard them talking about following the order of Lingjiu Palace on Piaomiao Peak to take over Wuliang Mountain to find out the truth about the 'Wuliang Jade Wall.'"

She then asked, "What is Lingjiu Palace on Piaomiao Peak? Why does Shennong Sect follow its orders?"

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