Chapter 1 The Beginning
Back at the Zhang family, Elder Liu discovered the beauty he had captured had escaped and flew into a rage. The Zhang family head had no choice but to select two attractive maids to send to Elder Liu’s room, only then pacifying his fury.
The Zhang family head exited Elder Liu’s room, listening to the sounds emanating from within. A hint of disgust flashed in his eyes. If not for the need to borrow the power of the Five Poisons Sect, he would never have allowed such a person to wreak havoc in the Zhang family.
“Father.”
“Let’s go.” The Zhang family head flicked his sleeve. Once their Zhang family became the masters of this Wuji City, they would no longer have to tolerate such a debauched individual.
Zhang Sheng felt a touch of unhappiness. Jun Fei’er from the Hundred Herbs Hall treated him very well, but there were no explicit declarations of affection. Now Yan Yan had broken off their engagement. He had transformed from an envied noble young master into a laughingstock.
“Has the City Lord’s Mansion not relented yet?”
Zhang Sheng shook his head. “Now the City Lord’s Mansion won’t even let me see Yan’er.”
“Hmph, let them be smug for two more days. After the enrollment ceremony, this Wuji City will belong to the Zhangs.” The Zhang family head sneered. “Be vigilant lately. Try to satisfy Elder Liu’s needs as much as possible. In these crucial times, we still rely on him.”
A trace of disgust flickered in Zhang Sheng’s eyes. “Father, we could find someone else…”
“Do you think Father is willing to fawn over such a person?” the Zhang family head said coldly. “Elder Liu’s elder brother is a Golden Core realm expert and is in charge of the Five Poisons Sect’s enrollment this time. Haven’t you found anything unusual?”
“What’s unusual?” Zhang Sheng asked in confusion. It was common for the Seven Great Sects to come to Wuji City for enrollment. If not for the City Lord’s Mansion not allowing people from the lawless lands in for nine years, it wouldn’t have caused dissatisfaction among the Seven Great Sects, thus giving them an opportunity.
“This time, all Seven Great Sects have sent Golden Core stage experts. This has never happened before,” the Zhang family head analyzed calmly. “This enrollment大会 will have an interesting show. Moreover, among cultivators of the same realm, Golden Core experts fighting, those skilled in poison will have an advantage. Not to mention Elder Liu himself is a master of poison, and the Five Poisons Sect has sent two Golden Core experts this time.”
“Your son understands.” Zhang Sheng lowered his gaze. They had no choice. The Zhang family was closely connected with the Five Poisons Sect. If they suddenly turned to another sect, it would inevitably incur the displeasure of the Five Poisons Sect. But hadn't his father considered that even if they became the masters of Wuji City, they would still be controlled by the Five Poisons Sect, forever their lackeys?
“By the way, what’s the deal with that woman who escaped?” the Zhang family head asked coldly. If that woman hadn’t escaped, he wouldn’t have been finding a woman for Elder Liu in the middle of the night.
“Your son doesn’t know.”
“Forget it, forget it. If she escaped, then she escaped. Increase the guard in the mansion, and don’t let any more mishaps occur.” Su Dan Novel Network.
“Yes, Father.”
As father and son walked away, their conversation faded. Xiao Man lay on the rooftop, listening to the sounds below, her eyes filled with icy coldness. No matter who was in the room, those who had touched her would pay the price.
Night gave way to dawn. The morning sun streamed through the window lattice, casting a bright glow. The attending maid yawned lazily and opened her eyes, speaking charmingly, “Elder, it’s morning.”
“Yes, Elder, are you getting up?”
The maid reached out to touch the person lying beside her, but her touch was ice-cold, with no warmth of a living person. The two maids sat up abruptly, looking at the unconscious Elder Liu with a gulp of fear. They reached out to check Elder Liu’s breath but found nothing.
“Help! It’s bad, Elder Liu is dead!” The maid, terrified, fell off the bed, not bothering to put on her clothes. She scrambled to open the door. The guards outside heard the screams and rushed in.
“What happened?”
“Elder Liu, Elder Liu is gone.”
When the Zhang family head received the news and rushed over, Elder Liu was still lying on the bed, as if asleep, with a contented smile on his face, as if he had died in his sleep.
“Go, call someone to examine him.” The Zhang family head broke into a cold sweat. “Don’t alarm anyone outside. Just say Elder Liu is unwell and have an alchemist come to take a look.”
“Yes, Family Head.”
The alchemist arrived quickly and carefully examined Elder Liu’s body. He looked cautiously at the Zhang family head. “Family Head, Elder Liu… it appears to be qiangjian.”
“Qiangjian!” The Zhang family head’s first thought was, 'You wanted to be lustful, and now you've died from it!' Immediately, he thought that Elder Liu had died in his mansion. Would the Five Poisons Sect let this slide?
“Are you sure it was qiangjian?”
“Elder Liu has no wounds on his body… well, scratches don’t count as wounds. There are also no signs of poisoning. It should be a sudden death caused by qiangjian.”
“Father, what do we do?” Zhang Sheng asked nervously. Although Elder Liu deserved his fate, the key was that Elder Liu had died in their mansion, and the maids were provided by them. If the Five Poisons Sect blamed them, they couldn’t bear the consequences.
“Things have already come to this. Concealment is useless. We can only tell the truth. If we conceal it and the Five Poisons Sect finds out, they will suspect we killed Elder Liu,” the Zhang family head decided decisively. “You stay here, and I will go to the Five Poisons Sect.”
The Zhang family head felt very uneasy. Even though he knew that Elder Liu’s death from qiangjian was likely due to his lack of self-control and excessive indulgence, no one could guarantee that the Five Poisons Sect wouldn't vent their anger on the Zhang family. The only thing he could do was to tell the truth and try his best to gain Master Liu’s forgiveness.
“What did you say?” Liu Xun angrily struck the Zhang family head, sending him flying.
The Zhang family head fell into the courtyard, then immediately got up and knelt. “Immortal Master, spare my life. It was our dereliction of duty, we failed to take good care of Elder Liu. Immortal Master, spare my life.”
Liu Xun was furious. He only had this one brother, whom he doted on dearly. Now, inexplicably, he had died in the Zhang family. How could he not be angry and vexed?
“Fourth Elder, calm your anger.” Another person stopped Liu Xun. “Although Liu Han was lustful, his body was very robust. How could he have died from qiangjian? There must be something suspicious. Let’s go to the Zhang family to investigate first before making a decision.”
Liu Xun angrily threw his sleeves and walked out of the room, then flew away on his sword.
“Family Head Zhang, what are you waiting for? Hurry and lead the way.”
“Yes, Immortal Master, please follow me.” The Zhang family head wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, feeling very uneasy. He had always known that Master Liu Xun doted on his brother, which was why he had the wicked idea of bribing Elder Liu. He never expected such a disaster to arise!
“Immortal Master, please plead for mercy later. Elder Liu was of noble status and had absolute authority in the mansion. We couldn’t resist. When he wanted beautiful women, we could only provide them and dared not refuse.”
“I know, Family Head Zhang need not worry too much. We of the Five Poisons Sect are reasonable people. If Elder Liu truly died of qiangjian, we will certainly not blame the Zhang family.”
“Thank you, Immortal Master.”