Chapter 471 - 215: A Chance Encounter with Xu Gongtong, Tier Four Exotic Poison (Part 2)
Chapter 471: Chapter 215: A Chance Encounter with Xu Gongtong, Tier Four Exotic Poison (Part 2)
To Xu Gongtong, and indeed the entire Xu Family, this was a massive fortune.
This was a perfect example of how wealth could stir a person’s heart.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Peach Blossom Spring Inn, Xiao Chen took his usual stroll through the streets to gather information on recent developments.
"A few days ago, a master from the Pudu Temple in the Compassion Sea was preaching Buddhist Teachings in the south of the city. Did any of you go listen?"
"What a shame. I happened to be away a few days ago."
"Don’t feel bad. I went, and to be honest, it was completely boring. That bald donkey kept talking about the next life. This Daoist only cultivates the present life; I don’t care about the next."
...
"I hear a lot of Golden Core True Men have shown up recently. Did something happen?"
"Hah, it’s still about capturing Red Peony. I heard they’re all cultivators from the Ten Thousand Immortals Archipelago, looking to claim the bounty."
"That can’t be right. Didn’t Red Peony flee to the Sea of Space?"
"Who knows? Anyway, I heard that six days ago, right on Jining Island to the northwest, Red Peony fought another battle with the Jin family."
...
In truth, without an absolute advantage in Escape Speed, shaking off a large-scale hunt by cultivators of the same level was no easy feat.
Over the past few days, Red Peony had also figured out what had happened and realized she had been framed.
She tried to explain the misunderstanding, but the problem was that the Jin Family didn’t believe her at all. Instead, they spread the news and summoned even more people from the Ten Thousand Immortals Archipelago.
After all, the words of a Tribulation Cultivator had no credibility whatsoever.
In the end, Red Peony could only curse the unknown culprit in her heart while continuing her desperate flight.
「Five days passed in a flash.」
On the tenth day of the fourth month, Xiao Chen arrived early at the South City Gate. He met Xu Gongtong and another cultivator he had invited, a man named Ge Dongyan. The three of them then set off together.
Since the Xu Family owned a small Cloud-Piercing Spirit Shuttle, it took them only three days to reach the edge of the Sea of Space.
After waiting for about an hour, a masked cultivator in blue robes appeared and exchanged a secret signal with Xu Gongtong.
This newcomer then took control of the Spirit Shuttle. After weaving through the sea on a convoluted path for a full day and night, they finally stopped, landing on an inconspicuous, deserted island.
Although the island was desolate, it was several thousand zhang square. In the center was a small mountain with a pavilion at its peak.
Two other masked individuals were already waiting on the island below.
Soon after, the group of six arrived at the foot of the small mountain. Xu Gongtong followed the other party’s leader to the pavilion to negotiate the price and inspect the quality of the Demon Pill.
The remaining four stayed behind to wait by a temporarily erected bamboo hut at the base of the mountain.
The negotiations lasted for four hours. Partway through, the Blue Robe Cultivator from the other group proactively brought out two cups of tea. "My apologies, my big brother is quite meticulous in his work."
"Please, fellow Daoists, don’t be impatient. I have some excellent Spirit Tea here."
Ge Dongyan quickly spoke up to decline. "No need to trouble yourself. I’m used to drinking the tea I grow myself."
As he spoke, he also took out a pot of Spirit Tea and two cups.
He first poured a cup for himself. Then, just as he was about to follow the plan and invite Xiao Chen to try his Spirit Tea...
...he saw that Xiao Chen had already reached out and taken the cup from the Blue Robe Cultivator. "Thank you for your hospitality, fellow Daoist. I won’t be polite, then."
He then took a sip directly. "Mm, not bad. The flavor is smooth and mellow. It really is good tea."
In the cultivation world, many types of Spirit Tea and Spirit Wine offered remarkable effects upon the first tasting.
Just then, a stream of pure Spiritual Power merged into his lungs, making even his breathing feel a bit smoother.
Xiao Chen’s unusual action left the other three people around him completely stunned.
’Logically, shouldn’t he be wary of problems with tea from a stranger?’
’Why did you just drink it?’
They had considered the possibility that Xiao Chen might refuse the Blue Robe Cultivator, and had even considered that he might refuse to drink tea altogether.
But they never, ever expected him to accept the first cup of Spirit Tea so naturally, so they hadn’t tampered with it at all.
Ge Dongyan’s mind was buzzing. ’You have zero fucking vigilance. How have you lived this long?’
’If you’re not a Loose Cultivator, how could your elders possibly let you out on your own?’
He was the one tasked with the poisoning. How was he supposed to proceed now?
The Blue Robe Cultivator opposite him was also a bit dazed; he hadn’t expected this to happen either.
’If I’d known, I would have just added a lethal dose of poison to the tea and solved the problem directly.’
However, they weren’t particularly panicked. After all, while it looked like three against three on the surface, it was actually five against one.
As the saying goes, two fists are no match for four hands. If worst came to worst, they could just use their superior numbers to overwhelm and kill him.
The reason they hadn’t attacked directly from the start and opted for poison instead was because Xu Gongtong was worried that Xiao Chen had a life-saving trump card. He wanted to minimize any variables, just in case.
Just as the group was secretly communicating with their Divine Senses, debating whether to execute the backup plan and lure Xiao Chen into an Array trap or to just attack him outright...
...Ge Dongyan suddenly had a flash of insight.
He proceeded to pour a second cup of Spirit Tea and offered it over. "Golden Light Taoist, why not try the Spirit Tea I brought as well?"
"It may not be particularly valuable, but its advantage is that you can’t find it on the market."
The corner of the Blue Robe Cultivator’s eye twitched, and he almost cursed out loud right then and there.
’Isn’t this fucking superfluous?!’
To be fair, this was also the first time Ge Dongyan and Xiao Chen had met. Offering him tea like this was obviously a bit too deliberate.
A normal cultivator, even if they weren’t suspicious before, should definitely become suspicious now.
However, he had miscalculated again.
Xiao Chen truly didn’t understand why Ge Dongyan was fawning over him for no reason.
But that didn’t stop him from accepting the Spirit Tea and enjoying the benefits of a first tasting for free.
With one gulp, an even richer warm current surged into his heart meridian, slightly increasing the density of his Qi Blood.