Immortalis

Meat Well Nine

By the time Longyin Sword Zhao Songjiang arrived, Fangqiong Sword had already finished bandaging Zhou Huai's wounds.

Shen Mian glanced at Zhao Songjiang's pale face, and a sense of foreboding welled up within him...

Over the past few months, the manor had been extremely peculiar. Not only had the old manor master been in seclusion, but even when he had tried several times to visit his senior brother Dong Zhu in the back mountains, Zhao Songjiang had stopped him.

Zhao Songjiang said that since Dong Zhu had previously held too high a reputation, and now had suddenly ended up in such a state, it was inevitable that some disciples would harbor discontent. Therefore, he intended to expel some disciples from the mountain, effectively cleansing their ranks.

These words sounded heartless, but Fangqiong Sword also knew that this must be the manor master's intention.

Among the Immeasurable Seven Swords, someone had to take charge. It used to be Dong Zhu, but now it was Zhao Songjiang, and naturally, the manor's disciples had to undergo some adjustments as well.

Like the other senior and junior brothers, he remained silent about this matter. Afterwards, just as Zhao Songjiang had said, disciples in the manor gradually began to leave. Some even disappeared without anyone seeing them descend the mountain—their beds were suddenly empty, as if they had vanished overnight.

It seemed some drastic changes had occurred in the manor, but not only him—none of the other members of the Immeasurable Seven Swords knew why the manor master had been in seclusion all this time. After all, before Dong Zhu and his son were imprisoned, the manor master had directly entrusted many matters to Dong Zhu. Afterward, it was Zhao Songjiang who took over.

Watching their eldest senior brother grow increasingly haggard day by day, Fangqiong Sword had initially thought the manor master was merely unwell. Who would have thought that today, Yang Wujian would claim that Zhuang Tianyou had succumbed to qi deviation.

"Senior brother, what exactly is..."

Fangqiong Sword had already examined Zhou Huai's wound. It was indeed inflicted by a broken sword with a notch on the left blade. Just from the wound alone, it was clear that not only was the sword extremely sharp, but the person wielding it also possessed terrifying skill. With just one strike, Zhou Huai's left arm was nearly crippled. If not treated promptly, even if the arm were saved, there would be lasting aftereffects.

What he didn't know was that Zhao Songjiang had not slept for nearly three days before today.

Ever since he took over the position of acting sect leader, everything that had happened in the back mountains had weighed heavily on his chest like an unshakable shadow, robbing him of sleep.

And now, what Yang Wujian had exposed was merely the most presentable part of the secret.

Frowning, he looked at Yang Wujian's coldly smiling face and the unconscious Zhou Huai beside him. After a long silence, he finally said, "Young Master Yang, things are not as you think."

"As I think how?"

Yang Wujian completely ignored his words and had no intention of leaving. In front of the Four Seas Alliance, he was determined to lay everything out in the open today.

Yang Wujian cursed, "Zhao Songjiang, I call you 'senior' out of respect for your impartiality. Even when others pressed me and the young master relentlessly, you remained calm and restrained... But I never expected that right after telling Medicine King Mountain and the Jade Pavilion that you would handle me yourselves, you'd turn around and deliver me to your manor master to be silenced, and even let the young master get injured like this... Did you think I would just let this go?"

His words were blunt, once again mentioning Zhuang Tianyou. At this point, Lei Shuang, who had been standing nearby, finally furrowed his brows and said, "What exactly is going on? If the old manor master is here, let him come out and say a few words. If this little bastard is spouting nonsense, I'll send him to meet the King of Hell on behalf of the old manor master today."Danyuan Bai cast a cool glance at Yang Wujian and chimed in, "Indeed. With such a major incident occurring, the old manor lord should come out to reassure the Four Seas Alliance. Otherwise, every manner of villain would dare to smear the Immeasurable Manor's reputation."

With both sect leaders speaking in unison, their disciples naturally echoed their sentiments in unison. In an instant, all eyes turned to Zhao Songjiang, whose expression grew increasingly grim.

It seemed the truth could no longer be concealed.

Zhao Songjiang closed his eyes. Being upright and rigid by nature, he had been forced into this role against his character. Now, he had reached his limit. After a long silence, he finally sighed and said, "The manor lord... is likely unable to receive guests."

"Senior brother! What do you mean? Wasn't our master in seclusion?"

Fangqiong Sword immediately realized the situation was far more serious than he had imagined.

Could it be that Yang Wujian's claims were all true?

Had the Sword Sect's leader succumbed to qi deviation, to the point of attacking anyone on sight?

Whispers spread through the crowd. Knowing they needed to provide an explanation quickly to quell the rumors, Fangqiong Sword urged, "Senior brother, what exactly has happened to our master? Speak plainly. With all the Immeasurable Seven Swords here, surely we can resolve this."

"Shen Mian, you don't understand."

Cornered and desperate, Longyin Sword grew deathly pale. "Our master did not suffer qi deviation. Rather... he was poisoned after the Famous Swords Gathering and has now lost all rationality. Earlier today, I failed to watch him closely enough, and he went to the back mountain and wounded Young Master Zhou."

"What?"

These words sent shockwaves through the assembly.

Not only the Immeasurable Seven Swords but even Danyuan Bai and Lei Shuang had not anticipated this outcome. Danyuan Bai urgently asked, "What kind of poison? May I examine him?"

Longyin Sword shook his head, and his next words caused an uproar among those present.

"The poison afflicting our master does not originate from the martial world."

He said coldly, "It comes from the imperial palace—extremely insidious and utterly incurable. Over these past months, I have been quietly purging our ranks, executing the spies one by one. But retreating indefinitely will solve nothing."

Pausing, Longyin Sword scanned the crowd, then solemnly cupped his hands in salute. "Sect Leader Lei, Sect Leader Dan, I have been overwhelmed by my master's condition and unable to attend to other matters. But given the circumstances, certain truths can no longer remain unspoken. The Longevity Heart Sutra incident has given the Zhaoming Division ample justification. They will surely come for us again. I implore you both to begin purging your sects immediately, lest what has befallen the Boundless Sword Manor be repeated elsewhere."

After that harrowing night, the various sects, heeding Longyin Sword's warning, arranged to depart the following day to investigate their own disciples. Only Yang Wujian and Zhou Huai remained behind in Fangqiong Sword's medical pavilion.

Even for appearances' sake, Longyin Sword could not possibly eliminate them at such a critical juncture. Aside from Longyin Sword, the other members of the Immeasurable Seven Swords seemed unaware of Zhuang Tianyou's condition. Among them, Fangqiong Sword, being a physician, was the most compassionate. Yang Wujian, recognizing this, used Zhou Huai's severe injuries as a pretext to stay.

Zhou Huai did not wake until the afternoon.The medicine applied by Fangqiong Sword had a numbing effect. Zhou Huai tried to rise but instantly slumped back down. Yang Wujian, who had been sitting in the room, moved to restrain him upon seeing this: "You'd better not move. Shen Mian said your arm was nearly crippled and needs proper dressing to avoid lasting complications."

"Thank goodness you're alright..."

Zhou Huai breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Yang Wujian. Zhuang Tianyou's displayed power earlier had been utterly terrifying, and he'd feared neither of them would escape alive. Yet against all odds, both had survived.

Yang Wujian sighed helplessly: "Young master, you're too reckless—daring to block a sword like that. Do you realize if Zhuang Tianyou's broken blade had veered slightly further, your entire arm would've been severed?"

Zhou Huai managed a pale smile: "I wouldn't have died. If I had, who'd feed Xue Qiu? Can't rely on you, the irresponsible father."

Yang Wujian hadn't expected the young master who once complained about early mornings to now crack jokes after being slashed. He sighed bitterly and recounted the events after last night. Unsurprisingly, even Zhou Huai found the situation suspicious.

"Poisoned by someone from the palace?"

Zhou Huai said incredulously: "Zhuang Tianyou's ghastly state last night—was that poisoning?"

Yang Wujian sneered: "They claimed poisoning but didn't summon Medicine King Mountain for verification. Clearly something's amiss. Longyin Sword doesn't operate with Green Rain Sword's diplomacy. Others must have noticed the irregularities too—otherwise Fangqiong Sword wouldn't have kept us in the medicine pavilion."

Having guarded the unconscious Zhou Huai all night, Yang Wujian had pondered deeply. While Longyin Sword's purge of internal threats seemed genuine, Zhuang Tianyou's poisoning felt dubious. If Zhaoming Division agents could poison Zhuang Tianyou, why not kill him directly? Leaving him alive with his martial prowess only bred future calamity.

Wary of eavesdroppers, Yang Wujian leaned close to Zhou Huai's ear: "I suspect Longyin Sword fabricated the Zhaoming Division story to conceal Zhuang Tianyou's true condition. After all, Zhaoming Guard recently troubled them over the Longevity Heart Sutra—pinning the blame there makes perfect sense."

"First it was Longevity Palace, now Zhaoming Division's turn."

Zhou Huai chuckled darkly, then asked: "So what's your plan? Staying at the manor isn't just for my arm treatment, is it?"

"Of course not."

Yang Wujian smiled: "Last night Longyin Sword mentioned Zhuang Tianyou was poisoned after the Famous Sword Convention. Remember Sun Eryuan's story I told you?"

Zhou Huai frowned: "At the convention, someone gave Zhuang Tianyou a Meteor Star."

Zhuang Tianyou reformed the Four Seas Alliance to seek Longevity Palace... The Meteor Star in their possession reacted to him... Last night he claimed he almost achieved mastery...

These clues swirled in Yang Wujian's mind, forming a deeply unsettling premonition. The last person he'd seen driven mad by martial pursuit was the White-faced Guest.

Just as Yang Wujian prepared to tell Zhou Huai he'd investigate the back mountain in coming days, someone knocked—Shen Mian.

Having apparently received dire news, Fangqiong Sword entered looking haggard after a sleepless night.

"Thank you, Senior Shen."Zhou Huai struggled to prop himself up to express thanks, but Shen Mian shook his head and placed the medicinal brew on the table. "Your shoulder injury shouldn't be agitated. Just lie still. This brew was prepared by my disciples this morning - it will help you recover faster."

Yang Wujian, however, wasn't so quick with gratitude. As the saying goes, unsolicited kindness always has ulterior motives. Though Shen Mian's conduct appeared upright, he certainly hadn't kept them here out of sudden conscience.

He smiled and said, "Elder Shen, you may speak frankly. I can tell your visit isn't solely about delivering medicine."

"..."

Shen Mian showed no annoyance at being seen through, merely sighing. "Young Master Yang has always been perceptive. You should be able to guess why I've come, shouldn't you?"

Yang Wujian poured tea for Shen Mian and probed, "I can see that although Elder Shen resides on this mountain, you're equally in the dark about many events happening here."

At these words, Shen Mian's expression grew even more grave.

He said quietly, "Young Master Yang, I am after all a medical practitioner. I can distinguish between qi deviation and poisoning... Last night when I examined the young master's wounds, our master's sword techniques showed no deviation from his usual habits - it didn't appear like he had completely lost his reason due to poisoning."

"Elder Shen is quite astute. Earlier when Longyin Sword summoned you all, did you get to see Zhuang Tianyou?"

"No."

Shen Mian shook his head, explaining this was precisely why he found the matter suspicious. "Senior Brother Zhao said our master cannot receive visitors now, but won't harm anyone again..."

With Zhuang Tianyou's abilities, who in this manor could stop him?

Yang Wujian thought to himself that this explained Shen Mian's troubled expression. Such flimsy excuses couldn't even deceive their own people. He smiled and said, "I believe Elder Shen has also realized your senior brother is hiding something from you all. By directing suspicion toward the court and urging various factions to clean house, he's diverting the Four Seas Alliance's attention. In truth, the biggest secret is likely hidden right here in Immeasurable Manor."

These words seemed to bring Shen Mian's deepest concerns to the surface. After much internal struggle, he finally spoke softly.

"Young Master Yang, if possible, I'd like to ask you to investigate the back mountain once more."

Shen Mian lowered his voice. "Since your departure, I haven't seen Senior Brother Dong... He and Dong Lu haven't appeared for months since they went there. I'm beginning to worry that this might not be the first time our master has experienced 'qi deviation' in the back mountain."