It had been half a month since Anji entered the Mystical Qilin Sect. Since their little ball of sunshine disappeared, Bai Dajin and Zhao Mingshen threw themselves into the darkness, seeking blood and information. Their search had not been very rewarding, but it occupied their minds.
Seeing the two blood-soaked n entering her hotel from the window and leaving trails of blood everywhere, Hong Nian Niang’s beautiful smile instantly turned into a frown. It wasn’t the first ti these two mad dogs were running wild. She understood the need to eliminate demon-worshipper base camps. However, was there a need to bathe in their blood?
"Stop right there!" she snapped. "Clean the ss up before soone sees you. What do you both think you’re doing entering the hotel that actual civilians live in while covered in blood? How did nobody else find you?"
Immune to her screams, the teenager and warrior greeted her as if she weren’t tempted to rip their hair out.
"Sorry about the ss," Zhao Mingshen yawned. "We’ll clean it later. Do you have any food? And a lot of wine. And maybe a bath."
Taking in their atrocious state, Hong Nian Niang pinched her nose and made a face. Ringing a bell, she summoned one of her trusted male concubines to attend to these two lunatics.
"I swear to god, since little Anji left, everyone is acting like children. What do you think she’d say if she saw you like this? Not to ntion, her shifu is here. She’d definitely berate you both."
Perking up, Zhao Mingshen was the first to register how Yan Ping was around.
"Where is Sect Leader Yan? Did Anji write any letters to ?"
...
Most people would have more respect to the famous half-sage in the murim world. However, when Anji was involved, so people would treat her as a ssenger for their beloved sister. Not wanting to pick a losing argunt, Hong Nian Niang gave the two excited n instructions to clean up, eat and sleep.
"Sect Leader Yan wants to et with the Gentleman Club. She has new information that is urgent but will only see us tomorrow morning. Tonight, she has sothing to discuss with her sect’s senior council because sothing urgent has cropped up."
Receiving the unspoken ssage to shape up before morning, Bai Dajin and Zhao Mingfeng regained so life in their eyes. Hong Nian Niang let her male concubine attend to them and left. It was partially true that Sect Leader Yan was busy. However, the other part about only seeing them in the morning was a lie. The Sect Leader requested to et with Zhao Mingshen as soon as she could. However, it was Hong Nian Niang’s personal judgent to delay that eting until morning because the teenager was not in good ntal or physical shape.
Despite the nonchalant attitude, she had been working with Bai Dajin and Zhao Mingshen for a while to know when these stubborn n were hiding sothing. Although the sll of blood was overpowering and most of the blood soaking through their clothing belonged to demon worshippers, the sll of fresh blood told her they had been wounded too. Although she was no expert in poison, she could tell that the pale complexion on Mingshen’s face was not solely from fatigue. Bai Dajin’s internal energy was low as well, indicating he must have been helping the teenager purge the poison before they returned. The late hour they chose to return indicated they had been on the run to lose their tails before returning. The hasty retreat and ssy appearance indicated the compromised outpost and safe houses. In normal circumstances, Zhao Mingfeng would never return to the headquarters without first cleaning up. He was too proud of the gentlemanly image that he crafted while spending ti with Zhang Mou. It was through working together long-term that Hong Nian Niang learned how Zhao Mingshen had a similar side to his younger brother Zhao Yihao. Their reckless and hot-headed nature must be inherited from their mother, sothing Anji lacked.
Walking to a room two floors below, Hong Nian Niang stopped outside a door and knocked twice. The person residing inside should already know she was visiting even without hearing her knocking. However, it was still polite to follow etiquette.
"Co in," a soft voice called as the door opened automatically even when nobody was touching it.
Entering with caution, Hong Nian Niang wondered if the prophet would be mad about the eting delay.
"Sect Leader Yan, the Gentleman Club eting has been delayed due to slight complications from the mission earlier. I apologise on behalf of them. Would it be alright to have the eting at breakfast tomorrow instead?"
Sipping on her tea, Yan Ping did not turn in Hong Nian Niang’s direction. The extended silence made the Vermillion Bird Sect Leader slightly nervous. However, when Yan Ping reached into her sleeve to pull out a small pill bottle, she instantly understood what that was for.
"Rotting Poison... this is the antidote for it. Although Sect Leader Bai helped that child to stabilise his condition, the trace remnants of this poison can resurface if not completely eradicated. Pass this to him for and tell him to circulate his qi six tis. Do not let him attend the eting until he has done so. The pill would work if he throws up black blood in the morning. Let know if his condition worsens, and send soone to transcribe the antidote’s ingredients."
Accepting the antidote with both hands, Hong Nian Niang bowed and thanked the prophet. She promised to send her male concubine to help the blind old lady transcribe the antidote’s ingredients. However, she was still surprised to learn how Sect Leader Yan already knew about the type of poison without even assessing the symptoms.
Her silence and reluctance to leave at once made Yan Ping sigh.
"I was going to tell you in the morning at the eting, but you’re just as curious as the people in my sect. Whatever. The poison was developed by soone who understands cultivation. It would not work for non-cultivators, so they use non-cultivators to store it in their body, transforming the blood into poison. When cultivators co into contact with it, the poison perates through the skin and corrodes the ridians from within, thus known as Rotting Poison. It’s not difficult to cure, but it acts fast and could permanently damage ridians if not rectified on ti. The second young master escaped narrowly from becoming a cripple thanks to having an expert like Sect Leader Bai by his side."
Although the explanation did not explain how Sect Leader Yan knew what kind of poison it was, her explanation about how it worked satisfied Hong Nian Niang’s curiosity about how they were poisoned.
Once more, Hong Niang Niang thanked the blind prophet for the antidote, and took her leave to deliver the antidote.
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