Poisoned by My Mistress

Ten Seconds Behind the Mask

Mu Yunfeng returned to the library pavilion and selected several illustrated manuals on poisonous herbs and venomous insects. Only then did he carry the stack of books back to his room.

He did not truly believe he could become a master of poison arts through self-study alone.

Still, it was worth trying.

Besides, studying and building goodwill did not conflict with each other. He could do both at the same time.

Charm people during the day. Read at night.

Perfect.

He first opened one of the herb encyclopedias and began carefully turning the pages one by one.

Yet after spending a full hour reading the entire volume, he closed it... only to realize he had not remembered a single thing.

To him, those illustrations might as well have been heavenly scripture. They gave him an immediate headache.

Irritated, Mu Yunfeng tossed the book onto the table.

As it landed, his eyes happened to fall upon the volume he had taken from the old man—**Clear Insight into Stillness**.

He casually picked it up and flipped through a few pages.

Before long, his expression changed.

His earlier instinct had been correct. This was no ordinary book—it was a method of visualization cultivation.

When reading those poison manuals, he felt as though he were deciphering nonsense. But when reading this text, he discovered that he understood everything at astonishing speed. Many terms were clearly unfamiliar, yet his mind grasped their meaning almost instantly.

Rather than intelligence, it felt more like the natural talent of this body.

Even with his memories gone, it still possessed an extraordinary affinity for texts like this.

“Looks like this guy wasn’t some nobody before he died,” Mu Yunfeng muttered, feeling genuine curiosity about his former identity for the first time.

Very soon, he finished reading the technique.

Without hesitation, he sat cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes.

*Observe the heart. Illuminate the spirit.*

He silently repeated the words.

In the next instant, his consciousness sank downward.

He did not know how much time had passed.

But when he opened his eyes again, he found himself once more standing upon that endless grassland.

The girl in the black dress was still there, swinging beneath the only tree in the entire plain.

When she saw him appear again, she blinked in surprise before asking:

“You’re dying again?”

“I was practicing the visualization method. I can’t believe it actually worked and brought me here.”

Mu Yunfeng sounded mildly astonished.

Originally, he had intended to strengthen his spiritual power through cultivation. That way, he would stand a better chance against the mental corruption of the Mask of the Faceless God.

Though he had wondered whether he might return to the depths of his consciousness, seeing it happen for real still surprised him.

Steadying himself, he waved to the girl with a grin.

“Long time no see.”

“It hasn’t been that long,” she replied softly.

Only now did Mu Yunfeng have the chance to properly examine this world. Last time he had been in too much of a hurry to look around.

“I never expected the deepest part of my mind to be an endless green meadow,” he said. “For some reason, that annoys me.”

“If your spiritual strength were sufficient, you could turn this place into anything you wanted,” the girl said as she sat back onto the swing.

She had already noticed that Mu Yunfeng was in no hurry this time. Clearly, he was not on the verge of death.

Mu Yunfeng did not rush to continue speaking with her. Instead, he strolled around the grassland in a wide circle, admiring the scenery of his own inner world.

The girl ignored him and continued swinging quietly beneath the tree.

Once he had seen enough, he returned and stood before her.

“Last time, you said you were the spirit of the Mask of the Faceless God, right?”

“Yes.”

The girl stopped the swing and looked up at him.

“But the feeling you give me... and the feeling the mask gives me...” He scratched his chin. “How should I put it? They’re completely different.”

Hearing that, the girl lowered her eyes toward the grass.

“Your understanding of spirit entities may be too narrow.”

“It is true that most artifact spirits closely resemble the nature of the artifact itself.”

“But a small number are born for the very purpose of restraining an artifact whose power has grown too excessive.”

Mu Yunfeng narrowed his eyes.

“So you were born to limit the power of the Mask of the Faceless God?”

The girl nodded.

“From the moment I came into being, I have been suppressing it.”

“But the mask’s power is too sinister. People are constantly lured in and devoured by it.”

“My internal suppression alone is like pouring a cup of water on a burning cart.”

“I need someone to restrain it from the outside as well—to stop it from feeding further. Only then can its power truly be contained.”

She raised her head and stared directly into his eyes.

“You are my last chance.”

“If you are devoured too... then its next target will likely be me.”

“And once it consumes me, it will lose control completely.”

Mu Yunfeng’s heart sank slightly.

So this mask was even more troublesome than he had imagined.

He scratched his head.

“I don’t think my odds are great either, but I’ll do what I can.”

The Mask of the Faceless God was currently his only path to becoming stronger.

There was no way he could simply stop using it.

“By the way,” he asked, “does that mean every time I need its power, I have to come here and ask you?”

To his surprise, the girl looked at him as though he were ridiculous.

“That was what I wanted to ask you.”

“Why do you come here every time?”

“It’s right there.”

“Can’t you *see* it?”

---

Mu Yunfeng slowly opened his eyes.

He was sitting on the bed in his room, breathing softly.

“Right there...?”

Remembering her words, he closed his eyes once more.

This time, he intended to visualize the Mask of the Faceless God directly.

As the image of the mask became clearer and clearer in his mind, chaotic whispers once again filled his ears.

He clenched both fists tightly and endured the mental corruption.

Then he opened his eyes.

They were already bloodshot.

The whispers grew louder.

More numerous.

More frantic.

Veins bulged across his forehead. Raising one hand, Mu Yunfeng lightly brushed his fingers across his face.

At once, countless strands of blood appeared out of thin air and rapidly wove themselves across his cheek.

Moments later—

Half of a terrifying mask had formed.

The instant it settled onto his face, an expression of indescribable exhilaration spread across his lips.

It was the look of an addict finally tasting poison again.

The next second, his head jerked sharply to one side.

The mask shattered instantly.

Mu Yunfeng snapped back to himself and began gasping for air. At some point, sweat had already soaked through his clothes.

“At my current level... anything beyond ten seconds is dangerous.”

“It seems I won’t be able to rely on the mask’s power anytime soon.”

He spoke in a low voice.

The mask was truly wicked.

The moment he wore it, he felt as if every restraint in the world had been torn away.

That sensation was intoxicating.

Even now, after removing it, part of him still wanted to put it back on and experience it again.

And though the mask was gone, chaotic whispers still occasionally echoed in his ears.

Its mental corruption had already begun to seep into his daily life.

Still—

Now that he had mastered the method of summoning it, he at least possessed the means to drag an enemy down with him if pushed to the end.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Nan’er’s voice came from outside.

“Young Master Mu, the Sect Master requests your presence.”

Mu Yunfeng glanced out the window.

Only then did he realize that deep night had already fallen.

He casually wiped the blood trickling from his nose before answering:

“I understand.”

No matter what, mutual destruction was the final option—the option left when all else failed.

For now, he still needed to follow the original plan:

Cooperate with Lin Wanqiu on the surface.

Meanwhile, secretly find a way to detoxify himself and escape.

He changed into a clean set of clothes and headed toward Lin Wanqiu’s sleeping palace.