Poisoned by My Mistress

Knocked Out in the Dark

“The Bloodtrace Sword?”

Seeing the confusion on Mu Yunfeng’s face, the guard looked surprised.

“Brother Mu, don’t tell me you’ve never even heard of the Bloodtrace Sword?”

“Please enlighten me, Brother Han.”

The guard immediately puffed up with pride.

“That sword belonged to Xue Sheng, a supreme master from eighty years ago! It’s said that the blade itself bears the supreme technique he cultivated. Whoever obtains it could become invincible under heaven!”

The more the man spoke, the more exaggerated it sounded. Mu Yunfeng chose to take it with a grain of salt.

Still—a weapon belonging to a top-tier master.

No wonder Lin Wanqiu cared so much.

Over the past few days, aside from cultivating the Heaven-Piercing Profound Art, Mu Yunfeng had also crammed some basic knowledge about the martial world.

For one thing, there was no unified system of cultivation realms.

Strictly speaking, different martial arts followed different methods and philosophies, each with its own progression. It was nearly impossible to standardize them.

Thus, the martial world roughly classified fighters into five tiers:

Third-rate, second-rate, first-rate, top-tier, and supreme.

In ordinary times, even top-tier experts were extremely rare—let alone supreme masters.

So in the current era, first-rate fighters were already considered peak figures.

Of course, Mu Yunfeng knew better.

With the Mask of the Faceless God in his possession, he understood that this world—though it appeared to be a typical martial arts setting—was far from ordinary.

Whether it was artifact spirits or the mask’s power, both had long surpassed the boundaries of mere martial arts.

---

By now, the mobilization in the plaza had concluded. Soon, the disciples would scatter across the land, searching for clues about the Bloodtrace Sword.

After chatting a bit longer with the guard, Mu Yunfeng leisurely made his way to Lan Xiang’s courtyard.

Since there had been no poison test yesterday, he didn’t need to visit Ghost Elder today either.

Pushing open the half-closed gate with practiced ease, he stepped inside. Nan’er remained outside, as usual.

Sure enough, Lan Xiang was sitting in the courtyard, her hair messy, her expression dark with irritation.

“Yo,” Mu Yunfeng greeted with a grin. “Looks like I’m not the only one suffering from a sleepless night.”

“That blasted bell rang like thunder. If I could still sleep through that, I’d be a god!” Lan Xiang snapped, clearly still dealing with her morning temper.

Over time, as Mu Yunfeng had dropped by more often, the two had grown closer. Otherwise, she would never have shown such a casually irritated, almost vulnerable side in front of him.

“Haha, don’t be mad. You’ll get breakouts,” he teased, casually retrieving a tea set from inside and pouring her a cup.

Lan Xiang took a sip, and her mood visibly eased.

“Ah…” She let out a soft sigh. “Missing sleep today is one thing. What worries me is that I might not be sleeping well for a long time to come.”

“Oh? Why’s that?” Mu Yunfeng asked curiously.

Lan Xiang was about to reply when her gaze shifted behind him. She sighed again, helpless.

“See? I told you.”

Mu Yunfeng turned around.

Lin Wanqiu was already stepping through the courtyard gate.

“Lan Xiang,” she called first, then noticed Mu Yunfeng. “Why are you here?”

“I get bored alone. He comes by to keep me company sometimes,” Lan Xiang replied lazily, resting her head on her hand.

“When did you two become so close?” Lin Wanqiu’s gaze swept over them with mild surprise.

“What did you come here for?” Lan Xiang asked directly.

“I guessed you wouldn’t have gone to the plaza, so I came to find you,” Lin Wanqiu said seriously. “The Bloodtrace Sword has reappeared.”

She then explained the situation in detail.

She made no effort to avoid Mu Yunfeng—this wasn’t particularly confidential information.

From her explanation, Mu Yunfeng quickly pieced together the situation.

Qingzhu, while investigating the fabricated “masked man” he had invented, had accidentally heard news of the Bloodtrace Sword and rushed back to report it.

“Pack up. You’re coming with me,” Lin Wanqiu said to Lan Xiang.

“Oh? Interested in that sword?” Lan Xiang asked with a hint of curiosity.

Lin Wanqiu paused briefly before replying, “If possible, it must not fall into anyone else’s hands.”

Then she turned to Mu Yunfeng.

“You’ll stay here and wait for me.”

“Your poison—no one but me can treat it. If you want to live, don’t wander off.”

Mu Yunfeng nodded.

“Yes, Master.”

He knew his cue. Bowing slightly, he turned and left the courtyard.

Watching his retreating figure, Lan Xiang smiled faintly.

“This one you picked up is quite interesting. Aren’t you worried you’ll come back to an empty room?”

“Even if he runs, I can drag him back,” Lin Wanqiu replied coolly.

---

Soon after, aside from a few elders left behind, the Thousand Poisons Sect mobilized almost entirely, blending into the martial world in search of the Bloodtrace Sword.

They weren’t the only ones.

Both righteous sects and demonic factions alike were stirred into action by the news.

For the first time in years, the once-calm martial world erupted into turmoil again.

---

As for Mu Yunfeng—

None of it concerned him.

If anything, with Lin Wanqiu gone, life had improved dramatically.

He ate better. Slept deeper. Had time to tease Nan’er and build rapport.

He could even climb three flights of stairs without getting winded.

No back pain. No leg fatigue.

He had never felt so relaxed.

---

Ghost Elder was also absent, likely dispatched because of the sword.

For a while, Mu Yunfeng lived a carefree existence within the sect—eating, sleeping, and doing as he pleased, with no one watching him too closely.

Of course, he could have taken the opportunity to escape.

But as Lin Wanqiu had said—

With so many strange poisons inside him, even if he left, there was no telling how long he would survive.

Only Lin Wanqiu knew exactly what poisons he had ingested.

Just the Ten-Day Devouring Pill alone was enough to bind him tightly.

Rather than flee blindly, it was better to take advantage of the sect’s emptiness and search for antidotes.

---

And so—

After discreetly sending Nan’er away, Mu Yunfeng quietly made his way toward the sect’s pharmacy.

Over the past few days, he had carefully scouted the area.

At the rear side of the building, there was a window that never fully closed.

That was his entry point.

Slipping inside, he immediately began searching.

The room was filled with rows upon rows of shelves—dry poisonous herbs, medicinal ingredients, and finished toxins and antidotes, all neatly arranged.

Each item was labeled with wooden tags, making identification easy.

Yet after checking every shelf, Mu Yunfeng found nothing.

No antidote for the Ten-Day Devouring Pill.

Not even the temporary antidotes meant to be taken every ten days.

“Wait a second… she didn’t leave me any advance supply before she left,” he muttered, his expression shifting. “What am I supposed to do when the ten days are up?”

With that troubling thought, he quietly slipped out of the pharmacy.

He had just begun heading back, planning to check whether Nan’er might have the antidote—

When suddenly—

A shadow appeared behind him.

Sensing something, Mu Yunfeng instinctively turned.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed a brown-haired man dart past.

The next instant—

A sharp pain exploded at the back of his head.

Everything went black.