Hidden Shadow – CH 178

Chapter One-Hundred-Seventy-Eight: Gale (4)

A group of people followed the tracking butterfly, searching the entire valley, but found no trace of Mo Sigui.

They stopped, and one of them said, “Physician Ning, could it be that the tracking butterfly has encountered a problem?”

“Impossible!” Before Ning Yanli could finish speaking, the burly man beside her cried out in pain, his body swaying precariously.

“What happened?” Ning Yanli took out a jade bottle from her sleeve. Inside the bottle was a luminous stone, instantly illuminating the surroundings. At this moment, everyone saw that the burly man’s entire body was seeping blood, a horrifying sight, as if he had been skinned alive! “Ah!” The person standing next to Ning Yanli screamed, grabbing her sleeve before collapsing. “Physician Ning, save me!”

Then, others followed suit. Ning Yanli also felt a throbbing, itchy pain in the soles of her feet, as if a thousand ants were gnawing at them. She looked down and saw blood seeping from her shoes, forming a ring on the ground. The pain spread down her legs, like sharp blades cutting through them. At first, she could only feel a warm rush, but slowly the wound intensified, making her legs tremble even as she stood.

The tracking butterflies around her seemed to be burnt in flames, instantly turning to ashes, which drifted and scattered in the air.

“Long time no see.” Mo Sigui’s smiling voice suddenly appeared behind her.

Ning Yanli turned around sharply.

In the dim light of the luminescent stone, Mo Sigui, dressed in a jade-colored robe, his black hair half-tied and half-loose, a smile playing in his peach blossom eyes, held a dark purple folding fan half-open, gently tapping his palm. “I have carefully prepared this ‘Sleepless Night of Parting,’ also known as ‘Muscle-Dissolving Powder,’ for Physician Ning. Please offer your guidance.”

Ning Yanli, pale-faced, took out a pill, about to swallow it, when Mo Sigui chuckled, “Physician Ning, please do not take medicine indiscriminately, because… many medicines can enhance its effects!” Mo Sigui did not seize the opportunity to kill her; he also wanted to see the true level of Ning Yanli’s medical skills.

Originally, he had prepared a different medicine. Later, while rebuilding An Jiu’s body, he had a sudden inspiration and concocted this poison that could turn the muscles of a living person into a puddle of mud. However, the Muscle-Dissolving Powder only had the effect of “resolving” the ailment; unlike the Rejuvenating Decoction, it did not possess the power to regenerate flesh. Once exposed to this medicine, the skin and flesh would continuously rot. If the poison was not neutralized within three months, only the skeleton would remain, and the pain would persist until death.

“The revered physician of the Song Dynasty is so ruthless! Fine!” Ning Yanli gritted her teeth.

“Thank you for the compliment,” Mo Sigui smiled faintly, cupping his hands in a gesture of respect. “Until we meet again.”

Ning Yanli gripped the jade bottle tightly in her hand. Finally, the bottle could not withstand the force and shattered with a crash. The luminous stone inside was shattered into tiny fragments, falling from her fingertips like shooting stars into the grass.

The surrounding light suddenly dimmed.

Two assassins from the Konghe Army, carrying medicine baskets, witnessed this entire scene and were terrified. Seeing Mo Sigui approach, they immediately bowed respectfully, a stark change in their attitude from before.

“Go back,” Mo Sigui said.

One person cautiously asked, “Divine Physician, why not…” Mo Sigui interrupted him, “Those burly men are extremely powerful. The Muscle-Dissolving Powder will not take three months to deal with them unless Ning Yanli can concoct an antidote within half a month. If she can, I will change my name.”

The more internal energy was used to resist, the more potent the Muscle-Dissolving Powder became. But even if Ning Yanli discovered this, it was useless. When people suffered pain, they would naturally resist; they could not control it unless they were like…An Jiu, a freak with incredibly strong mental power.

The moon hung high in the sky.

In the dockside town, a silent storm of blood and gore had begun to brew.

Under Chu Dingjiang’s leadership, they had successfully assassinated thirteen people. Although some of them were only around fourth-level martial artists, successfully assassinating even one person within the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion was of great significance.

After these thirteen battles, everyone had gradually gained confidence and fighting spirit, and they were full of energy every time they carried out a mission.

The people of Piaomiao Mountain Mansion never imagined that a mere twenty-odd people would dare to come here and kill. These past few days, they had focused most of their attention on investigating large merchant caravans of over a hundred people and also on dealing with the provocations of the Yu Clan. This was still in Yangzhou, and the Yu Clan dared to provoke them; if they were not taught a lesson, the martial world would think Piaomiao Mountain Mansion was easy to bully.

Meanwhile, after each assassination, Chu Dingjiang would close the doors and windows tightly to prevent the blood from spreading.

However, the north wind was fierce, and as more and more people died, the smell could no longer be contained. It was carried by the wind to the dock, where several figures quickly approached in the darkness.

At that moment, a passenger ship docked.

On board were only two people: a pale-faced, beardless, frail scholar and a beautiful girl in red.

The foreman, wielding the whip, was shouting orders when the scholar’s expression suddenly changed. He quickly bowed and greeted him, “Second Master, Miss Ruyan.”

Mei Ruyan ignored him, lowering her eyes and unfolding her cloak to drape over Wei Yuzhi.

The black fox fur made Wei Yuzhi’s face appear even cleaner, his scholarly air subtly revealing the authority of a superior. “So it was you who sent a large number of assassins to hunt down Yu Pianfei?”

“Yes.” In the cold winter, a bead of sweat slowly slid down the man’s temple.

“Did they kill her?” Wei Yuzhi’s tone was very gentle, without a trace of anger.

But the man’s fingers began to tremble uncontrollably, and his tongue stiffened with fear.

The whip in his hand, which no one else was wielding, suddenly lashed out on its own, tightly coiling around his neck. The barbs pierced his skin, and crimson blood spurted out, falling onto the wooden planks at his feet.

Wei Yuzhi adjusted his clothes and said calmly, “Answer.”

“Yes…this subordinate was wrong!” The man’s face was deathly pale, his voice hoarse, and he stammered, “Please…Second Master…spare my life…”

The whip loosened, and Wei Yuzhi smelled the blood in the wind, a scent not belonging to this place. His eyes sharpened, and he mentally pieced together the information he had received over the past few days. A thread instantly became clear: someone was investigating the docks, the Yu family suddenly transferred goods, Sang Nu disappeared, the Yu family provoked him without cause, and the Bianjing Konghe Army suddenly launched an attack…

The Yu family had existed in Yangzhou for so many years and had always maintained peaceful relations with the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion. They could not have made these moves without a reason. It must be that the Konghe Army had discovered the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion’s main residence and wanted to wipe them out in one fell swoop, but because the Piaomiao Mountain Mansion had been entrenched in Yangzhou for many years, they could not act rashly. So they chose to join forces with a local power!

As for Sang Nu… Wei Yuzhi could not guess where he had gone, but the Konghe Army dared to act, so besides the Yu family, they must have had something to rely on. This reliance… was most likely Sang Nu’s betrayal of the mansion in a fit of rage after discovering the truth!

“Stop here. All of you return to the mansion!” Wei Yuzhi’s handsome face darkened slightly as he coldly looked at the foreman clutching his neck. “I am giving you a chance to redeem yourself. Immediately recall the assassins who were chasing Yu Pianfei!”

“Yes!” The man accepted the order, clutching his neck, and hurriedly left.