At a distance of ten zhang from Mo Sigui, the movements ceased.
A figure straightened up from the grass.
When An Jiu saw the face, her eyes widened slightly—it was Wei Yunshan!
In truth, she had long considered this possibility, but when the thought became reality, she couldn't help but feel a bit surprised.
Wei Yunshan stared at Mo Sigui. "Hand over the Shadow Wraith's heart blood."
"Wasn't it already taken by you?" Mo Sigui said with a tense expression. "I refined all the blood into medicinal pills. Since you've already obtained them, why did you still kidnap my apothecary's apprentice and refuse to release him?"
"Hahaha! Such a childish trick, and you thought you could deceive me?" Wei Yunshan carried himself with the air of a seasoned martial arts elder, not seeming the least bit troubled by having stolen from others. "Since you're willing to risk your life alone for a mere apothecary's apprentice, I'll give you some credit. Hand over the medicine obediently, and I won't make things difficult for you."
He clapped his hands, and twenty black-clad figures swiftly approached from the distance. One of them was carrying an unconscious youth—none other than Mo Sigui's apothecary's apprentice.
"Wei Yunshan." Chu Dingjiang, who had been silent until now, spoke up and revealed his identity.
Wei Yunshan's expression tightened slightly. "Not many people recognize me these days. Who are you?"
There were only a handful of Transformation Realm Masters in the world, and the Crane Control Army had portraits of each of them. Chu Dingjiang had seen them countless times. Wei Yunshan was gaunter than in his portrait, but his overall features remained recognizable. Chu’s words were merely a test.
"Rumors say Wei Yunshan is detached from worldly desires, a reclusive master—yet it turns out you're nothing but a traitor!" Mo Sigui felt nothing but contempt.
"I have no country, no family. I only know that blood can rid me of all my ailments and suffering." Wei Yunshan had lost his patience. "In two ke, if I don't give the order, your apothecary's apprentice will lose his head!"
"You old fool." Mo Sigui snorted coldly. "Do you think an apothecary's apprentice can sway anyone? I came today just to see who had the audacity to steal from me!"
Wei Yunshan had noticed that Lou Xiaowu and Mo Sigui were quite close. He had originally intended to capture her, but Ling Ziyue's protection was too tight. It was already difficult enough for him to leave the military camp with one person; if he alerted others, it would be impossible. So, he settled for the apothecary's apprentice.
He hadn’t initially planned to use the apprentice to threaten Mo Sigui—he merely thought the youth might know something. Unexpectedly, it had yielded results.
"An apothecary's apprentice is indeed worthless." Wei Yunshan pulled out a scroll from his sleeve. "But what about your master's manuscript?"
From the apprentice, Wei Yunshan had learned that Mo Sigui treasured this manuscript deeply.
Mo Sigui's expression darkened further. He had kept the manuscript on a whim; even if it were destroyed today, it would only mean losing a memento. But he couldn't stand anyone using it to threaten him.
Seeing the change in Mo Sigui's expression, Wei Yunshan grew more certain he had found his weakness.
"Elder Wei, I presume you’ve already presented the contents of the medicine box as the real medicine to your master, haven’t you?" Chu Dingjiang interjected suddenly. "You know full well it’s fake, yet you’ve deceived your superiors and hidden the truth—planning to keep the real medicine for yourself, isn’t that right?"
He glanced at the black-clad men behind Wei Yunshan. "If he obtains the medicine, do you think he’ll let you return to report?"
The statue-like black-clad figures showed subtle signs of movement.
Seeing this, Chu Dingjiang finally took out a small vial from his robe, poured out a pill, and held it between his fingers. "This is condensed from the blood essence of the medicine man. Would anyone like to verify it?"A person's heart blood is only so much. The potency of a single pill is already immense—no martial artist would not desire to possess it.
After a few moments of silence, one of the twenty burly men stepped forward. "Hand that over for me to inspect."
Chu Dingjiang's gaze shifted slightly. This man taking the lead did not meet any opposition. However, Chu Dingjiang clearly saw that the moment he stepped forward, a few others had subtle reactions. The corners of his lips curled beneath his face covering as he channeled Inner Force into the medicinal pill, flicked it with two fingers, and tossed it directly toward the man.
The man raised his hand and caught it; the pill remained intact. Before he could even bring it close to his nose, he caught a rich medicinal aroma mixed with the scent of blood, clearing his senses instantly.
"Elder Wei, how do you explain this?" the man demanded, holding up the pill to question Wei Yunshan.
Hearing the implication in those words, Mo Sigui realized that Wei Yunshan had indeed deceived his superiors and concealed the truth! He couldn't help but glance at Chu Dingjiang, wondering how he had known.
"Do not listen to his deceitful provocations!" Wei Yunshan sensed danger, urgently devising a counterstrategy while tensing his entire body, preparing for a life-or-death struggle at any moment. "Speaking such words at a critical moment is nothing but an attempt to sow discord among us. Everyone must not fall for it!"
Though he said this, seeds of doubt had already been planted.
"Return the Miracle Doctor's manuscript and the Apothecary's apprentice, and we will give you all the medicine," Chu Dingjiang said.
An Jiu caught sight of the Medicine Bottle in his hand and was surprised—when had he taken it?
"You would agree to a losing trade?" Wei Yunshan was skeptical.
Chu Dingjiang replied, "If I am not mistaken, the Medicine man was cultivated by the Liao Emperor. If we were to secretly keep this, we could not withstand the full force of the Liao nation. Even if we manage to send you all away today, other experts will surely come in a few days. Though this item is valuable, holding onto it is like grasping a hot coal. It would be better to exchange it for something practical. After all, we have already gained some advantage—why not quit while we're ahead? What do you think, Elder?"
The explanation was quite reasonable—so reasonable, in fact, that Wei Yunshan felt something was off, though he couldn't pinpoint anything suspicious at the moment.
After a brief pause, he raised his hand and said, "Release him."
The burly man holding the apprentice threw him over.
Neither Chu Dingjiang nor Mo Sigui moved to catch him, and the Apothecary's apprentice landed hard on the ground.
Mo Sigui lowered his gaze to carefully observe the apprentice's condition and, seeing nothing amiss, temporarily set aside his concern. He looked up and nodded slightly to Chu Dingjiang.
Chu Dingjiang then raised his hand. "With your numbers, we cannot possibly renege. Toss the manuscript over first, and I will immediately hand over the medicine."
Wei Yunshan knew Chu Dingjiang was in the Transformation Realm, but he was confident he could handle him. Without hesitation, he threw the manuscript over.
Mo Sigui could tell its authenticity even with his eyes closed. After a cursory glance, he grabbed the apprentice and tucked the manuscript into his robes.
Chu Dingjiang raised his hand and made a throwing motion.
The men on the other side tensed, but when they saw he hadn't thrown anything, they grew furious.
Hidden in the shadows, An Jiu saw his gesture and understood it was a signal to retreat. She quietly withdrew, circling around the gentle slope to rendezvous with Chu Dingjiang.
Just as Wei Yunshan was about to erupt in anger, Chu Dingjiang suddenly threw the Medicine Bottle.
Wei Yunshan's heart leapt with joy, but to his surprise, the bottle was not thrown to him—it was hurled toward a black-clad burly man at the very edge of the group.(To be continued...)
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