Chapter 28: No Cure?

Hearing Yun Zhonghe’s anguished cry, Azhi turned her head and saw his face contorted in pain, leaving her momentarily confused.

Wasn’t he fine just a moment ago?

What happened now?

Azhi hurried to Yun Zhonghe’s side, taking three steps in two, and asked him about his condition.

Meanwhile, Ding Chunqiu, now reduced to a cripple, saw Yun Zhonghe’s suffering and felt a surge of satisfaction.

Ding Chunqiu had spent years dealing with all kinds of poisons, and his internal energy had long been tainted. When Yun Zhonghe, unsuspecting, absorbed his energy, he also took in the toxins within.

Had Yun Zhonghe not recently absorbed Yuzhenzi’s energy and gained considerable power, the venom would have already attacked his heart and killed him outright.

Now, Yun Zhonghe realized the danger. He mobilized all his energy to seal his vital points. If the poison penetrated his heart, it would be beyond saving.

“Phew!”

No one knew how much time had passed, but slowly the agony faded from Yun Zhonghe’s face. He opened his eyes and exhaled deeply.

He was met by Azhi’s worried gaze, and offered a faint apology, “Sorry for making you worry.”

Hearing this, Azhi thought Yun Zhonghe was playing tricks on her again, and her pretty face darkened. “So you find it amusing to toy with me, do you? Well, I’ve had enough!”

With that, she turned angrily and walked away.

Yun Zhonghe was baffled by her scolding, his mind muddled. Once he realized what was happening, he grabbed Azhi’s hand.

“This time I’m not lying. I truly am poisoned, though I’ve suppressed it for now.”

Azhi was furious and intended not to believe a word he said, but upon hearing he was poisoned, concern crept in despite herself.

“How could you be poisoned for no reason? I think you’re trying to fool me again.”

Seeing Azhi’s disbelief, Yun Zhonghe placed his arm before her.

A black line ran from his arm to his palm; if it reached his fingertips, it meant the poison had invaded his heart and not even gods could save him.

Azhi’s anger vanished, replaced by deep worry. She seized Yun Zhonghe’s arm.

“Who could have poisoned you so fiercely?”

Yun Zhonghe did not answer, but looked at Ding Chunqiu lying on the ground.

This time he had truly been careless.

Following Yun Zhonghe’s gaze, Azhi looked at Ding Chunqiu and asked in confusion, “That old man can’t even move. How did he manage to poison you?”

“I absorbed his internal energy. The poison within Ding Chunqiu was transferred to me as well.”

Upon understanding the whole affair, Azhi, her face dark with menace, squatted before Ding Chunqiu and spoke coldly, “Old man, hand over the antidote and I’ll let you live. Otherwise, I’ll show you what it truly means to wish for death but be denied it.”

Because of the Paralyzing Breeze, Ding Chunqiu could not answer Azhi at all.

He was, after all, the leader of the Star Sect—how could he be intimidated by Azhi’s threats?

If Ding Chunqiu really died, then Yun Zhonghe must die with him.

The poison within Yun Zhonghe was a blend of many toxins, growing more potent with the passing years.

If Yun Zhonghe were wise, he would hand over the antidote to the Paralyzing Breeze, kneel and beg for help. After suffering humiliation, Ding Chunqiu would then shatter his last hope.

He would tell him: this poison has no cure!

“Azhi, let me handle this myself.”

Yun Zhonghe took the antidote for the Paralyzing Breeze from his robe and placed it under Ding Chunqiu’s nose.

Ding Chunqiu inhaled gently, and soon his weakened limbs regained strength and he could speak.

He looked at Yun Zhonghe with mocking disdain. “How does my internal energy taste, then?”

Yun Zhonghe’s eyes blazed, his fists clenched, joints cracking.

He had been careless this time.

Who’d have guessed that the old man’s body was riddled with poison?

Azhi saw Ding Chunqiu still defiant, and kicked him hard. “If you don’t want to die, hand over the antidote now!”

Crack!

Her kick was not gentle; Ding Chunqiu was already a cripple, and she broke several of his ribs with that blow.

Feeling the pain in his chest, Ding Chunqiu did not grow angry—instead, a twisted smile appeared at his lips, his expression ever more deranged.

“I have lost all my martial arts, I am a cripple now. Do you think I fear death?”

He raised his head, staring at Azhi, venomous hatred burning in his eyes. “If you want me to save Yun Zhonghe, it’s not impossible. Let him kneel and kowtow a hundred times and I’ll detoxify him.”

Hearing Ding Chunqiu’s outrageous demand, Azhi’s anger flared. She stabbed her sharp dagger straight into his thigh.

The blade sank in to the hilt, leaving only the handle exposed.

“I told you—if you don’t hand over the antidote, you’ll wish you were dead.”

With that, she twisted the dagger.

An indescribable agony spread from Ding Chunqiu’s heart.

A piercing scream startled the birds in the woods.

On the side, Yun Zhonghe watched Azhi reveal such cruelty, his eyelids twitching.

If he ever betrayed this lady, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Yun Zhonghe instinctively glanced downward, feeling a chill sweep over him, making him shiver.

He shook his head hard, banishing stray thoughts.

Suddenly, Ding Chunqiu stopped screaming and, uncharacteristically, began to laugh wildly. “Azhi, this is the first time I’ve seen you so concerned for someone’s safety. The more you torture me, the more it shows his importance in your heart.”

“When he dies from the poison, the pain you suffer will be a thousand, ten thousand times greater than mine!”

Azhi said nothing, her face impassive, but anyone could sense the turbulent emotions raging beneath her calm exterior.

As she was about to press Ding Chunqiu further for the antidote, a hand grasped hers, stopping her.

“Azhi, don’t be rash. You needn’t worry about the poison in me; I have my own way to deal with it. The old monster must not die yet—keep him alive for now.”

Azhi did not believe Yun Zhonghe. The poison in him was, frankly, the essence of Ding Chunqiu’s venomous skills—a deadly toxin rarely seen in the world.

Not only Yun Zhonghe, even Ding Chunqiu himself might not be able to cure it.

Seeing Azhi’s doubt, Yun Zhonghe tightened his hold. “Trust me.”

Under his gaze, Azhi relented, stepping to the side to calm herself.

Ding Chunqiu looked at Yun Zhonghe, his lips curled in ever deeper scorn.

To him, Yun Zhonghe’s words were merely to prevent Azhi from killing him.

Detoxify?

Impossible.

If one truly wanted to cure the poison, it was simple—abolish all martial arts, and the poison would dissipate.

After soothing Azhi, Yun Zhonghe turned to Ding Chunqiu, seeming to read his thoughts, and smiled. “You’re thinking I need to destroy all my martial arts to rid myself of the poison, aren’t you?”

Ding Chunqiu frowned, unsure of Yun Zhonghe’s intentions, and did not answer.

Yun Zhonghe continued, “Actually, in just half an hour, the poison in me will resolve itself.”

As soon as his words fell, Azhi, who had been facing away, spun around and fixed her gaze on him.