Poisoned by My Mistress

Sixteen Dead Before Him

After provoking Li Xiu, Mu Yunfeng had not walked far before he passed by a courtyard.

Inside, Lan Xiang was sitting on a stone stool, staring blankly at the maple tree beside her. Late autumn was approaching, and the red maple leaves glowed vividly under the sunlight, as if the whole tree had been set aflame.

She looked just as she had in the main hall yesterday—her hair a little messy, her posture lazy, her whole body radiating a complete lack of motivation.

So Li Xiu must have come to see her just now.

Recalling the conversation between her and Lin Wanqiu in the hall yesterday, Mu Yunfeng guessed that this woman was probably quite familiar with Li Xiu. In that case, he might as well classify her as part of Li Xiu’s faction and treat her as an enemy too.

Thinking this, he lifted his foot and prepared to leave.

Just then, Lan Xiang lazily turned her head and looked over.

“Since you’re already here, why not come in and sit for a while?”

“Uh... is that appropriate?” Mu Yunfeng asked awkwardly. Being caught peeking made him feel rather embarrassed.

“What’s inappropriate about it?” Lan Xiang propped her elbow on the stone table and rested her cheek on her hand. Her misty, half-awake eyes settled on him. “The gate’s open. If you want to come in, then come in.”

Fair enough. This was also a good chance to test her attitude.

Mu Yunfeng nodded.

“Then I’ll intrude.”

He entered the courtyard and sat across from her. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.

After thinking for a long while, he finally forced out a stiff smile.

“Well... you look pretty relaxed. Day off today?”

Lan Xiang merely supported her head with one hand and looked at him with a lazy smile, saying nothing.

Since she did not respond, Mu Yunfeng instantly felt awkward as hell.

Just when he was about to go insane from this silent t*****e, Lan Xiang finally spoke.

“You’re rather different from ordinary refugees.”

“If commoners were suddenly brought to a place like this, they’d probably have been scared out of their wits already. They certainly wouldn’t have the nerve to provoke Li Xiu.”

Her voice was slightly androgynous, cool and mature, and when paired with that lazy tone, it was the kind of voice that could make one’s ears tingle.

Mu Yunfeng scratched his head and laughed.

“You heard that?”

“You were shouting so loudly just now, and my courtyard gate wasn’t closed. How could I not hear it?”

Mu Yunfeng’s smile gradually faded.

“So, are you planning to help him regain face?”

Lan Xiang smiled.

“I’m far too lazy to do something that troublesome.”

“I picked him up outside. When I found him, he was already half-dead, so I helped him. That’s all.”

“There are many people like that in the sect. Including me. I was also picked up by the Sect Master.”

Mu Yunfeng’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Lin Wanqiu? That woman?!”

“Haha!” Lan Xiang laughed. “If she heard you calling her by name like that, you’d be dead.”

As she spoke, a soft light flickered in her eyes, and she seemed to fall into memory.

“People outside all say she’s a female demon, but I know she’s actually a very good person. She’s my important friend, and my benefactor.”

“If not for her, I would probably still be trapped in hell.”

“So...”

When Lan Xiang reached this point, her lazy eyes suddenly turned cold and sharp.

“If she gave the order, even if she asked me to kill Li Xiu, I wouldn’t hesitate at all.”

Mu Yunfeng immediately stood up and raised both hands above his head.

“Scary, scary.”

“You people from the demonic sect really aren’t normal. Can’t afford to provoke you. Can’t afford it.”

“I’ll be going first. I still need to look around elsewhere.”

Lan Xiang shrugged.

“Suit yourself.”

Mu Yunfeng walked to the gate, then turned back and asked, “By the way, I came in and sat here for quite a while, yet I didn’t even get a cup of tea. Next time I come, can I at least have some tea?”

“If you want tea, brew it yourself. I’m too lazy to serve you.” Lan Xiang smiled lazily. “Maybe it’ll be poisoned tea.”

“Poisoned tea is fine. I’m already poisonous enough as it is.”

With that, Mu Yunfeng walked out.

Lan Xiang watched his back and murmured softly, “Interesting.”

Good. The groundwork for their next meeting had been laid.

The instant Mu Yunfeng turned away, his expression darkened.

This woman was, at the very least, one of Lin Wanqiu’s trusted people. Since she could still be communicated with, there was no way he could let this opportunity slip by.

As he thought, he unknowingly walked into a medicinal garden.

Unlike the herb gardens in his memory, the plants here all seemed to carry a dark hue. Even the soil looked unnaturally dull, and the air was filled with a faint, bitter scent.

He slowly walked inside and soon saw a thatched cottage deep within the garden. In front of the cottage was an open space, and on a large stone sat a very thin old man, legs crossed, eyes closed, as if cultivating.

Mu Yunfeng instinctively slowed his footsteps and approached little by little.

The old man showed no reaction the entire time.

Then Mu Yunfeng noticed a book lying on a stone table nearby. He walked over and looked at it.

**Clear Insight into Stillness**

He opened to the first page. There were only six simple words written there.

**Observe one’s heart. Illuminate one’s spirit.**

With just one glance, he instinctively sensed that this book was not simple.

“Young brat, touching my things without permission. Do you think this old man is easy to bully?”

A voice suddenly came from behind him, startling Mu Yunfeng so badly that he hurriedly turned around.

The old man had opened his eyes at some point and was quietly looking at him.

“Ah, well... I’m truly sorry.”

The old man carefully sized Mu Yunfeng up, then chuckled.

“Oh, you’re that new medicine subject the Sect Master took in, aren’t you?”

“Ah, yes.” Mu Yunfeng scratched his head.

Then he suddenly froze and looked up.

“What do you mean, new?”

Hearing this, the old man immediately grinned.

“Because before you, there were already sixteen medicine subjects. Men and women, old and young, fat and thin, tall and short. But not a single one of them lived past a week.”

“And you won’t be the last.”

Mu Yunfeng had not expected to hear another shocking piece of news here.

So before him, sixteen brave pioneers had already sacrificed themselves!

Originally, he had planned to build good relationships first, then look for a chance to escape.

Now it seemed he might not even survive a week. With so little time, what the hell could he even accomplish?

Mu Yunfeng frowned tightly and immediately began thinking of other ways to escape.

Seeing his shifting eyes, the old man assumed he had successfully frightened him and smiled faintly.

“If you want to live, I can point you toward a path.”

Hearing this, Mu Yunfeng immediately asked, “Please enlighten me, Senior.”

The old man jumped down from the stone, clasped his hands behind his back, and slowly said, “This old man may be untalented, but I do have some ability.”

“Every time the Sect Master calls you over to test medicine, come to me afterward and give me some of your blood.”

“Perhaps I’ll be able to save you.”

So that was what he was after.

No wonder he suddenly told me all that.

Mu Yunfeng understood clearly, but his expression remained unchanged.

“Senior, can you really save me?!”

“Hmph! I have studied the poison arts for decades. How could I be inferior to a little girl?” the old man said, visibly displeased.

So you’ve already lost to her before.

Mu Yunfeng understood instantly.

But after thinking about it, he realized that providing a bit of blood was not a big deal. What if the old man really succeeded?

With that in mind, he nodded.

“Very well. But Senior, I think that book is quite interesting. May I take it back and read it?”

“Being alone in this sect, I need something to pass the time. Otherwise, I really don’t know if I’ll still have the courage to keep going.”

He casually revealed his supposed intention to give up.

From their previous conversation, Mu Yunfeng could roughly tell that this old man wanted to analyze the poisons in his blood in order to c***k the Thousand Venom Demoness’s poison.

If that was the case, then the old man needed him more.

Mu Yunfeng had keenly spotted the flaw in the old man’s words and successfully reversed the balance of the conversation.

At first, he had been the one who needed the old man to detoxify him. Now, the old man needed his blood to study the poison.

When the old man said he would not survive seven days, Mu Yunfeng had indeed panicked for a moment.

But after calming down and thinking carefully, he remembered that he had crawled out alive from the Ten Thousand Insects Gu. According to Lin Wanqiu, he possessed a quality others did not.

With his resistance to poison, surviving a week should not be a big problem.

On top of that, Lin Wanqiu still needed his body to study the Ten Thousand Insects Gu. She would not let him die so quickly.

By saying it in that tone, he was showing weakness without sounding threatening, making it easier for the old man to accept.

Mu Yunfeng’s mind raced at full speed. He suddenly realized that in this small Thousand Poisons Sect, every person seemed to have a hundred schemes waiting for him to uncover.

One careless move, and he would be trapped.

He had to keep his brain working at all times.

After hearing his words, the old man’s brows twitched almost imperceptibly. But very quickly, his expression turned into a smile again, and he nodded.

“No matter. Take it and read it.”

“Many thanks, Senior. Farewell!”

Mu Yunfeng cupped his fists, took the book, and quickly turned to leave the medicinal garden.