Chapter 78

When the Chancellor regained consciousness, there was great joy.

Though no grand invitation was sent out to celebrate, a feast was still held within the Chancellor’s residence, with abundant wine and dishes, which could not be avoided.

That night, the Chancellor’s residence was brightly lit.

Those who could take their seats were all people of high status.

For example, Lord Liu, Ye Qing, and the other advisors of the Chancellor’s residence, all of whom were the Chancellor’s confidants. And then there was the hardworking and meritorious Doctor Tao.

The one who drew the most attention was the young Taoist who had easily given away the century-old cold-year grass and killed the ambushers on the road.

At this table, apart from Su Wenxiu, the other young masters and misses of the Chancellor’s residence were not seated, but were placed at another table.

Chancellor Su smiled and said, "Tonight is not a grand banquet, but a family gathering. There are no formalities, so everyone can be at ease."

By calling it a family gathering, he included Lord Liu, Ye Qing, and Qin Xianyu in the circle of insiders. Although it was just a polite gesture, it still warmed people’s hearts.

Though there were no formalities or rules, Qin Xianyu glanced around and realized that those seated at this table were all the Chancellor’s confidants, while the Chancellor’s descendants, except for Su Wenxiu and the eldest son of the Su family, were seated at another table. It seemed that the seating arrangement had been planned in advance.

Though it was a small banquet, the abundance of wine and dishes was no less than at the Shangguan family’s birthday celebration. After all, he was the current Chancellor, not a newly risen noble family like the Shangguans.

"Let’s not talk about chicken and duck. This fish is a very rare type, with blood-nourishing effects, and its value is more than ten times that of ordinary fish. In addition, this pot of clear soup and this plate of birds are all top-notch dishes."

Qin Xianyu thought, "If this were held in a restaurant, each dish would cost several taels of silver, and some dishes would cost even more. This table of dishes is so abundant that, if calculated carefully, it could support an ordinary family for several years without worrying about food and drink."

Qin Xianyu looked at the table of dishes, feeling that they were not only abundant but also too luxurious.

Poor people struggled to have three meals a day, while the nobles and officials feasted on fish and meat.

But it had always been like this throughout history.

Qin Xianyu collected his thoughts and saw that Chancellor Su had not yet picked up his chopsticks, but was smiling at him.

"The greatest credit for my recovery and the saving of my life goes to Daoist Qin."

Chancellor Su said, "Daoist Qin saved my life, saved my granddaughter Wenxiu’s life, and saved the lives of dozens of people in the convoy, including Old Liu and Ye Qing. Today’s family gathering, where everyone can gather here, is all due to Daoist Qin. If Daoist Qin does not start eating first, how can I dare to pick up my chopsticks?"

Originally, out of respect and admiration for Qin Xianyu’s abilities, everyone dared not be disrespectful, so he had been called Daoist Qin, omitting the word 'little.' But now, Chancellor Su changed the title to 'Little Daoist Qin,' which made it seem more intimate.

Qin Xianyu turned to look and saw that everyone’s eyes were on him.

He did not pick up his chopsticks, so the Chancellor did not dare to either.

And if the Chancellor did not dare to, who else would dare to go first?

At this moment, many people suddenly realized, thinking, "This family gathering is actually centered around this young Taoist."

Thinking of this, some of the young masters and misses who felt neglected had a resentful look in their eyes.

Qin Xianyu smiled lightly and said, "A country Taoist, who does not understand etiquette, but with the Chancellor’s generous hospitality, I will not be so formal."

He did not refuse, as he had indeed made great contributions to the Chancellor’s residence, and there was no need to feign modesty. He picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of fish, and was about to put it in his mouth.

Suddenly, Qin Xianyu paused.

He gradually frowned.

Everyone was taken aback, thinking that though he had claimed to not understand etiquette, this young Taoist was being too rude.

Chancellor Su did not mind, only smiling, "Is there something wrong with the dishes?"

Qin Xianyu remained silent.

At this moment, he let go of his chopsticks, and the fish fell to the ground.

The meat hit the ground.

Everyone’s faces changed.

Even Su Wenxiu, who found this young Taoist’s behavior too unusual, showed a look of surprise and a hint of panic.

"Such audacity, to disgrace the Chancellor’s residence in this manner!" A young man stood up and shouted, "Guards, seize him!"

The guards stationed outside the door rushed in, each holding a sword or a saber. The leader was Su Li, who was stunned when he learned that he was to seize Qin Xianyu and stood speechless.

The young man, seeing that this young Taoist, who was about his age, was so respected, while he, as the Chancellor’s grandson, had to sit at another table, felt neglected and even less important than an outsider. Seeing that the guards did not follow his orders, he became furious and shouted, "Are you deaf? Don’t you dare seize this rude country Taoist?"

"Shut up!" Chancellor Su coldly said, "What right do you have to speak here?"

The young man immediately dared not speak.

Su Wenxiu knew that her cousin was a wastrel, but she did not expect him to be so foolish and lose his composure. She sighed inwardly, already concluding that this young man would not be taken seriously by the Chancellor’s residence in the future. At most, he would be a carefree young master, and it would be difficult for him to achieve greatness. But compared to her cousin, she was more concerned about the young Taoist’s unusual behavior.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

Qin Xianyu took a deep breath, feeling the true qi in his body stir, as if something was stirring his blood.

Earlier, when he smelled the meat, something had changed in his body, and his true qi had become unstable.

"Parasites?"

Qin Xianyu was alarmed, and another scent came to his nose.

Cold, pungent.

Killing intent!

But this killing intent was coming from the dishes on the table.

Qin Xianyu was filled with doubt.

Chancellor Su waited for a long time and, seeing no movement, frowned and asked, "Little Daoist Qin, what does this mean?"

Qin Xianyu did not answer. He took a piece of the century-old cold-year grass, pinched off the tip of a leaf, about the size of half a fingernail. He crushed it and sprinkled it into the clear soup.

In an instant, a layer of white appeared on the surface of the clear soup.

Everyone was shocked, and someone asked, "What is this?"

"Parasite eggs," Qin Xianyu said, taking a deep breath. "This is a colorless and odorless poison, a living poison. After being nourished by the century-old cold-year grass, it instantly turned into parasite eggs. If one drinks this soup or eats this dish, in a short while, the poison will be nourished by the blood and turn into parasite eggs. When the eggs hatch, they become parasite poison, which can easily take a life, or even make one wish for death."

After being implanted with a parasite by Master Guanxu, he had read many books on parasitic techniques. Most of the techniques described in the books were fabricated, but many were based on real principles.

Chancellor Su’s eyes narrowed, "Parasites?"

Everyone thought of the parasites that would grow in their bodies if they had eaten the dishes and drunk the soup, and their faces turned pale. The women were even on the verge of vomiting. When Chancellor Su mentioned parasites, it added a layer of mystery to the living poison.

Parasites were extremely mysterious and made people wary.

"Where did the parasite poison come from?"

"Who put the poison?"

Ye Qing and Lord Liu exchanged glances, shocked.

Suddenly, Qin Xianyu drew his sword and slashed at Chancellor Su!

"Bold!"

"What are you doing?"

This time, even Ye Qing and Su Wenxiu were shocked and angry.

Chancellor Su watched the sword fall, his expression calm.

The blade stopped above his head.

A bug was cut in half and fell onto the table.

"It seems this is aimed at the Chancellor," Qin Xianyu said, thinking, "But this poison was meant to kill everyone at the banquet, which is too cruel. If I hadn’t sensed the killing intent and the parasites in my body hadn’t reacted, I might have been poisoned, and even a cultivator’s body might not withstand the parasites eating away at the internal organs."

Qin Xianyu ignored the shock and anger of the others and looked out the window, seeing a flying insect heading east.

"East!"

Qin Xianyu got up and chased after it, moving as fast as the wind.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he heard screams behind him.

When Qin Xianyu left, the guards naturally followed, but as soon as they stepped out, someone collapsed.

This person was Ye Qi, who had pretended to faint and had tried to kill Qin Xianyu before. He had followed Qin Xianyu out, but he stepped on a bamboo sliver.

The bamboo sliver pierced through his shoe and into his foot.

As soon as the bamboo sliver touched the blood, it melted and spread throughout his body in an instant.

"Bamboo sliver parasite?" When Qin Xianyu turned to look, he saw that Ye Qi’s face was turning blue and his breathing was weak. The bamboo sliver had already melted into the blood, turning into parasite poison and spreading throughout his body.

Seeing this, Qin Xianyu recalled the parasitic techniques described in the books.

A bamboo sliver is taken, and after several processes, it is soaked in the venom of colorful snakes and centipedes. After forty-nine days, it becomes a bamboo sliver parasite.

This bamboo sliver parasite is very sharp, capable of piercing through armor, and is as deadly as a weapon. Once it pierces the skin, it melts into the blood and cannot be removed, causing death in an instant.

"Parasitic techniques?"

Qin Xianyu was solemn, as the opponent clearly knew parasitic techniques, making them very difficult to deal with.

The opponent’s martial arts skills were unknown, but this parasitic technique could even poison a grandmaster if they were not careful.

This was a method of poisoning, but it was terrifying, using living parasites as poison, making it seem mysterious. To outsiders, it was almost as mysterious as divine techniques and immortal arts.

Originally, Qin Xianyu had considered parasitic techniques to be legends, as mysterious as divine techniques and immortal arts. It was only after Master Guanxu implanted a parasite in his body that he realized that parasitic techniques truly existed. Although they were not as astonishing as divine techniques and immortal arts, their principles were based on using parasites and poisons, and the methods of poisoning were indeed very strange.

Qin Xianyu, feeling solemn and interested, thought, "Who is this person? I must meet him and see what kind of person he is, to be so ruthless, trying to poison everyone, even nearly poisoning me."

He followed the flying insect, and not far from the Chancellor’s residence, he heard two more screams.

Two more people had been poisoned by parasites.

Lord Liu and Ye Qing rushed out and, seeing the situation, their faces changed.

Ye Qing shouted, "The opponent is a master of parasitic techniques, and their methods of poisoning are too strange. You all should go back and protect the Chancellor."

He ordered the guards to return to the residence, and Lord Liu and Ye Qing exchanged glances, feeling shocked. After a moment, they followed the path Qin Xianyu had taken.

Qin Xianyu, using the Cicada Wing Step, had already disappeared.

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