They suddenly let out low growls and lunged recklessly at Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi's hand went numb, and with a clang, his long sword fell to the ground—the blue liquid was indeed no good. Meanwhile, Qiu Qing, the "Shuang Yu Ji," drew a short dagger from her bosom and charged straight at him. Qiu Yuan, who had been fighting Cheng Yunpao, abruptly turned around, disregarding the countless openings in her stance, and spread her arms wide to pounce on Bi Lianyi.
Hong Guniang finally realized what was happening. She raised her right hand and fired a flash of white light at Qiu Yuan, who was charging recklessly toward them. Hidden within her right sleeve was a concealed weapon—prepared for her by Bi Lianyi as a means of self-defense. Yet Qiu Yuan neither dodged nor evaded. The white light struck her squarely in the chest, but she paid it no mind. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Bi Lianyi, who was staggering backward, trapping him in her embrace.
This move took everyone by surprise. Cheng Yunpao’s long sword flew through the air immediately after, embedding itself with a dull thud into Qiu Yuan’s back. Blood sprayed from her chest, instantly drenching Bi Lianyi. Still, Qiu Yuan refused to let go. Paralyzed by the blue poison, Bi Lianyi struggled to resist. In the blink of an eye, Qiu Qing lunged forward, pressing down on Cheng Yunpao’s sword. The blade pierced through Qiu Yuan’s back and chest, driving straight into Bi Lianyi’s own. Stunned, Bi Lianyi was forced back three steps by the sheer force of the sisters’ fearless assault.
"Xiao Bi!"
"Brother Bi!"
Cries of alarm erupted from the onlookers. In the fleeting moments before this sudden ambush, no one could have believed these white-clad women could injure Bi Lianyi so quickly. Yet, caught off guard in the midst of the group’s encirclement, he was grievously wounded in an instant.
Hong Guniang rushed forward, but Cheng Yunpao pulled her back with one hand. Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng shielded her—both assuming that the Dissolute Shop’s night raid was targeting her.
Bi Lianyi! But Hong Guniang knew Bai Suche’s blade had been aimed at him. This time, the Dissolute Shop had deployed its elite forces—for Bi Lianyi! There had to be something more to this. Watching as blood gushed from Bi Lianyi’s chest, still locked in Qiu Yuan’s death grip, her heart churned violently. Though she remained silent, her eyes reddened. She glanced at Bai Suche, only to see her chasing and slashing at a bald old man, who fled into the woods after a few strikes. Frowning deeper, Hong Guniang’s unease grew.
Cheng Yunpao pulled Hong Guniang back and stepped forward, gripping the hilt of his sword. With one touch, he knew—Qiu Yuan was already dead. The Azure Fall Palace’s lethal hidden weapon had done its work. His own strike shouldn’t have been fatal, but the palace’s weapon and Qiu Qing’s push had sealed her fate. What could drive the "Shuang Yu Ji" to turn on each other just to harm Bi Lianyi? He yanked his sword free, and Qiu Yuan’s body slumped lifelessly. Blood gushed anew from Bi Lianyi’s wound, mingling with the blue poison and gradually forming a strange, mottled blue-purple hue.
With a flick of his sword tip, Cheng Yunpao sealed the acupoints around Bi Lianyi’s injury. The blade had only penetrated two inches—not deep enough to be fatal—but Bi Lianyi had been poisoned first, and now the toxin had entered his bloodstream. The consequences were uncertain. The bald old man who had doused Bi Lianyi with the poison had vanished. Bai Suche arrived, sword in hand, just as the white-clad women Cheng Yunpao had repelled earlier rose to their feet again. Though Qiu Yuan was dead, Qiu Qing’s eyes remained bloodshot, fixed unwaveringly on Bi Lianyi.Her hands gripped her weapon tightly, her entire body trembling as if struggling to restrain herself from lunging at Bi Lianyi again. Bai Suche glanced at Hong Guniang's slightly reddened eyes and noted her refusal to retreat to the main tent, finding it rather odd—could this woman truly have taken a liking to Bi Lianyi? The thought flashed through her mind as Bai Suche's whistle sounded once more, prompting the surrounding white-clad female attendants to suddenly accelerate their encirclement. Qiu Qing, still staring at Qiu Yuan's corpse on the ground, continued to tremble, ignoring Bai Suche's command.
Cheng Yunpao sensed something amiss and directed the icy frost sword's technique, "Heart Full of Ice and Snow," toward Qiu Qing. The Sword Qi was sharp and merciless, aimed at Qiu Qing but enveloping five or six white-clad attendants behind her. These women lacked the skill of Qiu Qing and Qiu Yuan and couldn't withstand Cheng Yunpao's strike. Unlike Qiu Yuan, who had been vicious, they collapsed to the ground, groaning in pain from the Sword Qi's wounds.
As Cheng Yunpao struck, Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng didn't hesitate either. Seeing Hong Guniang unwilling to retreat, they shielded her without protest. After a moment of trembling, Qiu Qing's eyes turned red, and she suddenly charged at Bi Lianyi again, dual daggers in hand. Cheng Yunpao swung his sword to block, but Qiu Qing, like Qiu Yuan before her, ignored his blade and lunged straight for Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi barely dodged, forcing Cheng Yunpao to abandon restraint. He intensified his swordplay, executing the technique "White Fox Leaps at the Moon," aiming to deflect Qiu Qing's daggers upward. Her gaze remained fixed on Bi Lianyi, and as Cheng Yunpao's sword flickered, he prepared to strike her acupoint to investigate the cause of her madness. But Qiu Qing threw herself forward, crashing directly into his blade.
The icy frost sword was, after all, a lethal weapon. Qiu Qing, ignoring Cheng Yunpao's technique, charged recklessly, and the black blade slashed across her abdomen, blood gushing forth. Knowing she had lost all reason and couldn't be reasoned with, Cheng Yunpao didn't hold back, finishing her with a decisive strike.
Despite her grievous wound, Qiu Qing rolled on the ground, still fixated on Bi Lianyi.
Bi Lianyi's face paled, realizing the blue poison was far more sinister than mere limb paralysis—these white-clad women seemed driven by it, hellbent on killing him. With his Inner Energy in disarray, he could only retreat slowly. Hong Guniang pulled him behind Meng Qinglei and Huo Xuanfeng, whispering, "How bad are your injuries?"
Bi Lianyi noticed her composed expression belied by reddened eyes and replied softly, "Just superficial wounds."
Hong Guniang pressed a pill into his mouth. "Don't speak. I don't know why Dissolute Shop is after you, but as long as you're here, I won't let them succeed." The pill she gave him was the Shaolin Great Restoration Pill left by Tang Lici—a miraculous healing medicine, though ineffective against poison.
Bi Lianyi frowned slightly, unconvinced.
Cheng Yunpao was highly skilled, and Meng Qinglei was no weakling, but the two alone couldn't gain the upper hand against Dissolute Shop today. Of the "Shuang Yu Ji," one was dead and the other injured, but among the masked white-clad women, there were likely others with skills no lesser than theirs. These women, driven mad, would relentlessly pursue anyone tainted by the blue poison. With such a weapon in Dissolute Shop's hands, the situation grew increasingly dire for the Central Plains Sword Association.But before tonight, why had no one ever heard of the Dissolute Shop possessing such poison? And who was that bald old man who suddenly appeared? Were Bai Suche and that man not on the same side? Why were they fighting each other? The more Bi Lianyi thought about it, the more confused he became. Just as he was lost in thought, Hong Guniang waved her sleeve and launched a signal firework—a red spark blooming in the sky. In moments, figures emerged from all directions as members of the Central Plains Sword Association surrounded the area.
Wan Yu Yuedan approached slowly, flanked by He Yan'er and Tie Jing on either side. Following them, Yu Furen, Dongfang Jian, Qi Xing, Zheng Yue, Dong Hubi, Gu Xitan, Wen Baiyou, Xu Qingbu, and others appeared one by one in the woods. Earlier, Bai Suche had led her group straight into the main tent without concealment, aiming only for a swift resolution.
Had it not been for Cheng Yunpao’s timely presence, given the martial prowess of "Shuang Yu Ji" and the others, Bai Suche might very well have succeeded in catching Bi Lianyi off guard.
Now, with the Central Plains Sword Association’s forces numerous and morale high, Bi Lianyi retreated into the crowd. Dong Hubi’s expression darkened the moment he saw the blue poison on Bi Lianyi’s face. He whispered, "Queen Bee Congealed Frost!"
Twenty years ago, many knew of the "Summoning Lamp Decree" and the massacre of the Wang family. Dong Hubi briefly explained to the younger members that the "Summoning Lamp Decree" was a family poison technique designed to shatter minds—utterly vicious. What Bi Lianyi had been exposed to was not a lethal toxin but a peculiar drug called "Northern Chill Brew." This substance paralyzed the body, but its most terrifying effect was that once poisoned, the victim would never recover.
It was an irreversible poison with no antidote. Having been drenched from head to toe, the toxin had already seeped into Bi Lianyi’s bloodstream, disrupting his true power and numbing his limbs, making movement nearly impossible. From this point on, recovery was out of the question. Even more horrifying was that for those afflicted with "Queen Bee Congealed Frost Dew," this poison was like a moth to flame—the moment they caught its scent, they would relentlessly pursue anyone tainted with "Northern Chill Brew," as long as they still drew breath.
The two poisons were locked in a deadly dance. It was said that in the past, a swordsman afflicted with "Queen Bee Congealed Frost" had ultimately slain his own wife and, in his madness, even drank her blood. In the end, he shattered his own skull and died. The Shaolin monk Dahe had gone to atone for this sin, and the "Summoning Lamp Decree" vanished from the martial world.
No one had known that descendants of the "Summoning Lamp Decree" still existed. Now, with Bi Lianyi poisoned by "Northern Chill Brew," it was clear that among Bai Suche’s white-clad envoys, others besides "Shuang Yu Ji" must also be afflicted with "Queen Bee Congealed Frost."
Upon hearing that "Northern Chill Brew" was incurable, Hong Guniang, Cheng Yunpao, and the others paled. Bi Lianyi was a top-tier master of the Azure Fall Palace—if he were to lose his martial prowess entirely, how could the Azure Fall Palace let this go? Who could possibly answer to Wan Yu Yuedan? Moreover, Bi Lianyi was still so young—how could he suddenly be reduced to a cripple who couldn’t even walk? Hong Guniang gritted her teeth, glaring furiously at Bai Suche. This woman—this woman knew full well—knew what would happen, yet she allowed Bi Lianyi to end up like this! Even if she had her reasons, Hong Guniang would never forgive her!Bai Suche was unaware of the potency of "Northern Chill Brew." She only knew that Wang Lingqiu had risked being beheaded by her blade to drench Bi Lianyi with so much of this poisonous liquid—there must be something significant about it. Clearly, as soon as the liquid was splashed, the white-clad female attendants behind her grew restless, some even losing control. Her goal was to abduct Bi Lianyi and bring him back to the Dissolute Shop, not to kill him on the spot. But now, with the attendants behind her out of control and the Central Plains Sword Association arriving in force ahead, the situation had escalated far beyond what she could handle.
What should she do?
She had fought desperately to earn Yu Konghou's trust, not to throw her life away.
Dying here would only ensure she never gained Yu Konghou's trust.
But fleeing... would only lead to a swifter death.
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