Martial Saint through Reading

”As long as you’re aware. Let me tell you, this poison will gradually take effect within the next six hours. Initially, it’s just intermittent heart-wrenching pain, but it will persist continuously until your heart explodes!”

”Boom, just like this fruit.” Jiāng Yan crushed the grape in her hand and continued, ”The antidote, only we know it.”

Teng Qian’s face, already pale, turned even whiter: ”You... what are you trying to do...?”

”I... I, Teng Qian, would never harm my father!”

”...”

...

Half an hour later.

”Father, how do you find this wine?”

”Not bad, isn’t this the ’Thousand Cups of Alcohol’ from Hundred Wine Tower in Xirong County?” The Fortress Master of Blood Vine Castle, Teng Zong, said with a smile.

”Father, you’re amazing, you could tell with just one sip.”

Teng Zong put down the wine cup, looking at Teng Qian with a smile yet not a smile: ”Qian’er, you didn’t invite me just for a drink, did you?”

”Father...” Teng Qian stood up with a smile, walking to the curtain, ”There’s another gift for you.”

”Father, please have a look.”

The curtain lifted, and Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan walked out.

”Father, how about them? One is gentle and charming, the other is enchanting and seductive, they are...””

”Shut up!”

Before Teng Qian could finish, the Fortress Master of Blood Vine Castle suddenly stood up, looking solemnly at the two women.

”Xiaojing, Little Yan, you... you’re back...”

Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan said nothing, their charming faces already full of anger.

The room fell into silence.

Teng Qian shrank back, the poison acting up, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, he said in fear: ”Father... father... save me... there’s poison... there’s poison in the wine...”

Teng Zong glanced coldly, just a look, then turned back to Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan.

”Xiaojing, Little Yan, are you here to kill father?”

Father?

Teng Qian, in pain and unable to stand straight, was suddenly terrified.

Those two venomous women turned out to be... turned out to be father’s daughters? His own sisters?!

”Yes.” Jiāng Jing’s voice was icy, a short blade with a cold gleam appeared in her hand.

”For your mother?”

”Yes.”

Their mother originally belonged to a wealthy family, but was ultimately massacred by Teng Zong.

”Hehe,” Teng Zong chuckled lightly upon hearing this, ”I, Teng Zong, have had countless women in my life, kill them and so be it, but you two are different. You are my daughters, with my blood flowing in you. How can daughters kill their father for outsiders?”

”Call me father once, and I’ll forgive your treason today.”

”My mother is no outsider! Old thing, you are! Who wants your forgiveness? You’ve consumed the Soul-devouring and Qi-swallowing Powder; don’t think you’ll survive tonight!” Jiāng Yan cursed angrily.

”Soul-devouring and Qi-swallowing Powder?” Teng Zong was indifferent; he opened his mouth slightly and spat out the wine he had just drunk, ”Do you mean this?”

”You!” Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan’s faces changed drastically.

”You’ve forgotten, father is a Meridian Unlocking Realm expert. I actually sensed you when I first entered.”

Teng Zong looked at the golden short blades in their hands, with affection in his eyes: ”The short blades you hold, named Jingyan Dual Blades, were specially forged by father for you when you were seven.”

”However, Jingyan Dual Blades cannot harm me.”

Changing his tone, Teng Zong’s figure flickered, and in the blink of an eye came before Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan, reaching out his palm to strike at their necks.

Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan suddenly saw darkness before their eyes, their consciousness blurred.

”Ah...”

Teng Zong carried the two women back to a bed in the inner room, then came out and tossed Teng Qian a pill, ”Swallow it and get out!”

”Father... this is where I live...”

”Not anymore, from now on.”

Teng Zong was very disappointed in Teng Qian. If it weren’t for his blood, he would have ended his life in the most torturous way.

”Not a word of what happened tonight is allowed to be spoken. Deal with all the guards outside who saw Xiaojing and Little Yan.”

”Yes...”

...

Who knows how much time passed before Jiāng Jing and Jiāng Yan woke up.

”Sister...” Jiāng Yan hugged Jiāng Jing and wept bitterly.

Jiāng Jing wept silently.

”Little Yan, Teng Zong is at the Meridian Unlocking Realm. If we wish to kill him, we probably need to cultivate to the Meridian Unlocking Realm ourselves.”

”Meridian Unlocking Realm? Sister, how many years will that take? Ten years, twenty years, or fifty years? Can that old thing live that long?!”

”Little Yan, it’s my fault for involving you; I didn’t anticipate the Meridian Unlocking Realm’s strength to be so formidable.”

”Is there no one who can kill someone at the Meridian Unlocking Realm? If anyone can kill Teng Zong, I, Jiāng Yan, swear I will repay them with my life!”

”...”

...

Dark clouds obscured the moon, the night was windy and ominous.

Outside Blood Vine Castle.

Chu Ming concealed himself in the darkness, the Sword Gourd Spirit spread out, instantly covering the entire Blood Vine Castle.

Several strongholds of Blood Vine Castle had already been silently exterminated by him, leaving no survivors, and the last one was just the main fortress left.

”Hmm?”

Suddenly, his eyes flashed, the Sword Gourd Spirit detected two auras.

”It’s those two martial arts women.”

Just slightly puzzled, Chu Ming did not pause, continuing his probing.

When the Sword Gourd Spirit covered an underground iron prison, he sensed another familiar aura.

”The Medicine Maniac... looks a bit miserable...”

The matter of the Medicine Maniac attacking seven strongholds of Blood Vine Castle alone the night before last and poisoning more than a thousand people was something he had learned when he exterminated those strongholds earlier.

Only, he didn’t expect the Medicine Maniac to still be alive.

Chu Ming pondered slightly, a plan formed in his mind, he blended into the night, quietly heading to the dungeon.

With nearly two thousand bandit thieves in Blood Vine Castle, he alone didn’t know when the killing would end.

He intended to release the Medicine Maniac to speed up the extermination of Blood Vine Castle.

...

The dungeon of Blood Vine Castle.

The candlelight was dim, each cold iron cell imprisoned people of all kinds.

Some sat against the wall in silence; some were emaciated, lying stiff on the ground; others were hanging on torture racks, suffering inhuman torment.

”Old thing, why do this? Join our Blood Vine Castle, wouldn’t it be better to live in luxury?”

”Don’t you want to refine a Life-Extending Elixir? Our Fortress Master said that as long as you hand over the poison recipe, he’ll definitely help you collect the herbs.”

The newly appointed third leader of Blood Vine Castle held the torture instruments and spoke unhurriedly.

”Hand over the formula?”

The already aged Medicine Maniac, after two consecutive days of torture, was barely recognizable.

With disheveled silver hair, his emaciated body was covered in bloody wounds.

”Pah!” The Medicine Maniac spat out a mouthful of blood, sneering coldly, ”Kid, don’t let me escape, or else...”

Smack—

Before he finished speaking, a scorching iron whip lashed across his body.

”Will you talk or not?! Will you?!”

The third leader of Blood Vine Castle mercilessly whipped him, each strike lifting chunks of the Medicine Maniac’s flesh.

The Medicine Maniac gritted his teeth, glaring venomously.

He knew that if he kept quiet, he could live a few more days. If he spoke, he would surely die.

”Old geezer, I tell you, hand over the formula and I’ll respect you as a senior. Refuse... humph humph... and await your death by my hands!”

”You, at the Refining Organ Realm, think you can kill me? Go practice some more!”

Smack—

Smack—

Whip after whip lashed down, as if the third leader truly intended to beat the Medicine Maniac to death.

”Will you talk or not?!”

”Will you talk or not?!”

”...”

Abuse and the sound of whipping echoed throughout the dungeon, where the imprisoned either looked on indifferently, with resentment, or with excitement, peering through the iron bars.

Suddenly.

A cold wind swept through, as if a shadow passed through the dungeon corridor.

”Old geezer, don’t force me to eviscerate you!” The third leader continued torturing the Medicine Maniac.

”I’m standing right here. Do your worst,” the Medicine Maniac endured the excruciating pain without flinching.

”Good, very good!” The third leader picked up a gleaming sharp blade, ”Old geezer, you think I don’t dare, do you?”

Slit—

The blade sliced through, spraying a chunk of flesh and blood.

”How does it feel, the agony of searing flesh and bone parting?”

The third leader licked the blade, eyes blood-red and ferocious, readying another stab.

A swift flicker, the blade plunged fiercely.

Just as the Medicine Maniac was about to endure the agony of searing flesh for the second time, the plunging blade suddenly halted half a palm’s distance from him.

”Who dares to stop me?!” the third leader cursed, turning to see which blind fool dared to interfere.

However, before he could turn, sudden monstrous strength seized his wrist.

Before he could grasp what happened, he heard the sound of bones cracking.

Next, a severed hand, stained with fresh blood, fell before him.

It looked very familiar...

It hurt! Agonizing!

”Ah—my hand!” the third leader screamed wretchedly.

Chu Ming stepped out of the shadows, approaching the Medicine Maniac.

”It’s... you!”

The Medicine Maniac recognized him immediately as the mysterious Meridian Unlocking Realm master he had met days ago at the Jingyan County mine.

”It’s me,” Chu Ming replied coldly.

”You and Blood Vine Castle...”

”Enemies to the death.” Chu Ming punched several times, and the black iron chains binding the Medicine Maniac shattered loudly.

”You... you...” Blood Vine Castle’s third leader, clutching his severed hand, retreated in terror.

Chu Ming, seemingly indifferent, produced a medicine pill, handing it to the Medicine Maniac: ”You’re free.”

The Medicine Maniac swallowed the pill without hesitation, then looked sinisterly at the third leader: ”Yes, I’m free.”

Just two simple sentences struck the third leader’s heart like daggers, sending his hair standing on end as a single thought consumed him.

Run! Run now!

The third leader dashed away, as if something evil was in pursuit.

Yet he hadn’t gone but a few yards when his legs faltered, and dizziness overtook him.

”Run, why aren’t you running?”

The Medicine Maniac’s gloomy voice arose behind him.

”No... don’t kill me...” The Refining Organ Realm’s third leader crawled forward like a dog with broken legs, terrified.

”Kill you?” The Medicine Maniac, holding a vial of powder, looked frighteningly sinister, ”I wouldn’t let you die so easily.”

He raised his hand, scattering the powder.

Sss—

The moment the powder touched the third leader, his skin fumed black smoke as if branded with a hot iron.

”I’ll take my time torturing you.”

Before long, the third leader fell unconscious from the torment of the poison dust.

The Medicine Maniac hoisted the third leader up, approached Chu Ming, and bowed deeply: ”Thank you for saving my life.”

Then, taking the powder from Blood Vine Castle’s third leader, asked in wonder: ”Benefactor, is this poison Soul-Catching Fragrance Powder?”

In appearance and scent, it was the same, but the toxicity was worlds apart.

”It’s slightly different, with some improvements,” Chu Ming said flatly.

The small pouch of poison the Medicine Maniac held was given by him moments ago.

Improvements?

The Medicine Maniac’s eyes changed, recalling the notebook he had handed over days ago.

”Does benefactor have some expertise in medicines?”

Without knowledge of medicine, it would be impossible to improve upon the Soul-Catching Fragrance Powder based solely on his formula.

Chu Ming remained calm: ”Yes, I know a bit, not a lot.”

Not a lot?

Who would believe that?!

The powder was evidently anything but simple; even someone like the Medicine Maniac, dealing with medicines for most of his life, couldn’t discern the ingredients used.

Chu Ming didn’t linger on the topic, continuing: ”There’s something I need Elder Yao’s help with.”

Elder Yao?

The Medicine Maniac looked at Chu Ming, respectfully:

”Indeed, I’m old, but among us martial artists, size of fists decide terms. Benefactor’s skills surpass mine, and you’ve saved my life, so no need for ’Elder Yao.’ Benefactor can call me by my name.”