Chapter 279: The Wine is Poisoned
After a moment, the great shaman who had gone to warm the wine brought it back. Another great shaman swirled the wine until it was clear, strained a bowl, and respectfully placed it before Qin Mu.
"Did you poison it?" Qin Mu asked amiably.
The two great shamans of the Golden Palace quickly replied, "We wouldn't dare!"
Qin Mu laughed heartily. "I am a divine physician myself, apprenticed to the Jade-Faced Poison King. If you tried to play with poisons in front of me, you'd only make fools of yourselves."
The two great shamans echoed his laughter with flattering smiles.
Qin Mu's expression darkened. Pointing at the wine before him, he said to the shaman who had warmed it, "Drink it."
That shaman's face changed drastically, his legs trembling. Qin Mu's face grew even darker, and he said coldly, "Drink it!"
The shaman's muscles around his mouth and eyes twitched violently. Trembling, he lifted the wine bowl, took two sips, and forced a smile. "No poison..."
No sooner had he spoken than his body began to shake, then, as if deflating, he shriveled up entirely. He grew shorter and shorter, until after a few moments, only a human skin remained. Outside the skin were his clothes, and inside the clothes, something squirmed. A swarm of insects burst through the skin, pouring out of the garments in a cascade, crawling everywhere before each one burst into flames and turned to ash.
The other shaman who had strained the wine turned ashen-faced.
Qin Mu's expression remained unchanged. Tapping the table, he said, "Strain another bowl."
The shaman who had strained the wine said with a mournful face, "The wine is poisoned..."
"It won't kill me."
Qin Mu said calmly, "Continue straining the wine. Where are the dancers? Call them up, let's have song and dance to liven things up."
That shaman quickly strained another bowl of wine and summoned the dancers. The music and dancing resumed.
Qin Mu ate his dishes and drank his wine, enjoying the performance. When he was particularly entertained, he clapped along to the rhythm. This feast lasted a long time; it wasn't until the sun hung halfway down the western sky that Qin Mu finally had his fill of wine and food. He waved his hand, dismissing the singers and dancers.
The wine was clearly laced with a deadly poison—a type of shamanic venom, a shamanic parasite raised by the great shamans that devoured souls and flesh. Yet Qin Mu had nearly drained the entire jar and remained completely unharmed.
"How disappointing."
Qin Mu stood up. The table was a mess; he had eaten and drunk everything, enough to feed over a dozen grown men, yet he still showed no signs of being full. The wine and food in his stomach were all dissolved by his Spirit Returning Elixir Great Replenishment Technique.
"Having lived so many lives, eleven thousand years, and yet I still haven't found my own path. I keep walking the roads of others, jumping from one path to another, back and forth, until I've worn away my own edge."
Qin Mu shook his head. "I waited for you so long, and you still didn't dare show yourself. How ridiculous. I thought you might be my match, but it turns out the older you get, the more afraid you are of death. After I seized the initiative and struck first, you didn't dare to fight me head-on."
That great shaman from the Golden Palace listened in confusion, having no idea who Qin Mu was talking to.
"Someone who doesn't dare to fight—what dreams could they possibly have?"
Qin Mu walked out, sneering. "Just go home quietly. Oh, and since you invited me to dinner, make sure you pay before you leave."
He stepped out of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion and drifted away.
In the Green Bamboo Garden, that great shaman was utterly baffled. He waved his hand to dismiss the singers and dancers. After a moment, from the shadows, Banguo emerged, bloodstained, his face dark.
"The Human Sovereign's sword technique..."
He murmured, "It was the Human Sovereign's sword technique! Though it seemed similar yet different, I couldn't be mistaken. That junior used the Human Sovereign's sword technique, fused with the Yancheng National Teacher's sword art, along with the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra and the Ling family's Nine Dragons Imperial Art. He's merged all these techniques..."
Qin Mu had fused so many techniques and divine abilities—all of the highest order—that when Banguo first clashed with him, his Dao Sword was suppressed, throwing his mind and rhythm into chaos.
That was why he didn't dare to fight Qin Mu head-on.
He didn't know how many moves of the Human Sovereign's sword technique Qin Mu had learned.
The Human Sovereign of the previous era was a supreme powerhouse. He didn't dare to gamble.
In that previous era, many stories unfolded. There were figures walking the world who were nearly divine—Banguo was one, the Heavenly Blade was another, and besides them, there were countless brilliant individuals. But none shone as brightly as the Human Sovereign.
The Human Sovereign was the most dazzling star of that era!
Beyond the Human Sovereign of the previous era, Banguo had also seen another Human Sovereign in the era before that, and tracing back eight hundred years, he had seen yet another.
Generation after generation of Human Sovereigns appeared throughout his long life, each one exceptionally brilliant, overshadowing his own light. These Human Sovereigns could even be traced back to his first life, and even before that, Human Sovereigns had walked the world!
He had once been very curious about this ancient lineage. Each Human Sovereign excelled in different techniques and divine abilities, but every one of them was astonishingly talented. Many sages, who emerged once every five hundred years, were also Human Sovereigns!
He had once tried to get close to this lineage, but several times he died at the hands of a Human Sovereign, so he abandoned that thought.
And now, on Qin Mu, he saw the legacy of the previous generation's Human Sovereign. But that Human Sovereign had vanished long ago; rumors said he had died three or four hundred years ago.
He had seen that Human Sovereign's sword—the strongest person and the strongest sword of the previous era. Once seen, that sword's light would be forever imprinted in the depths of one's heart, unforgettable.
If not for that, he wouldn't have panicked so much, lost his composure, been severely wounded by Qin Mu, and lost the initiative. So he first used water escape to avoid Qin Mu's edge, then earth escape to burrow underground, but Qin Mu's Azure Sky Eye detected him, and he struck with the bamboo staff, iron hammer, and butcher knife, inflicting further injuries, forcing Banguo to flee.
His mastery of escape techniques was also pushed to the extreme; the Little Jade Capital's escape methods were undoubtedly the best in the world.
His soul was extremely strong, nearly divine, and Qin Mu couldn't kill him. Plus, the cultivation from his past lives was still hidden within him. Though his current body was still weak and couldn't withstand that hidden, terrifying power, if Qin Mu pushed him to his limit and that power erupted, he could still kill Qin Mu!
After he fled, Qin Mu knew he couldn't keep him there, so he didn't pursue. Instead, he returned to the Jade Fragrance Pavilion, forcing Banguo to stay hidden and delaying his healing.
"If that ancient organization learns that the Human Sovereign isn't dead and has an heir, it will be quite the spectacle," Banguo murmured softly.
The great shaman who had strained the wine for Qin Mu quickly stepped forward, forcing a smile. "Prince, how are your injuries? That Qin Sect Master didn't pay..."
Banguo muttered, "I don't need anyone to know I lost, even though I've lost many times..."
That great shaman was momentarily stunned, then suddenly felt his soul stiffen, as if locked by something. Terror filled his face.
The next moment, his flesh and bones dissolved, his soul disintegrated, and only a few pieces of clothing fell to the ground.
Banguo walked out, paid for the meal, and thought to himself, "Fortunately, I've had a few encounters with that organization and know how to contact them... The capital is no longer safe for me. When that Qin Sect Master returns, he'll surely inform Ba Shan Sacrificial Officer, leaving me no place to stay. But if I want to hide, even Ba Shan Sacrificial Officer won't be able to find me."
He stepped out of the Jade Fragrance Pavilion, retreated into the shadows, and then never appeared again.
Meanwhile, Qin Mu returned to the Grand Academy, found Ba Shan Sacrificial Officer, and said, "Banguo is indeed the old monster of the Loulan Golden Palace. I wounded him, but he probably won't show himself again."
Ba Shan Sacrificial Officer was stunned and exclaimed, "He got away? If he secretly uses sorcery against you, what then? The Heavenly Blade teacher couldn't kill him and had to go into hiding to guard against him, let alone you! This old bastard is still at the Six Harmonies Realm now, but it won't take long before he breaks through to the Seven Stars Realm, then the Life and Death Realm. In just over a decade, he'll likely return to the Divine Bridge Realm! By then, you're dead!"
Qin Mu smiled. "How about you stay by my side, Senior Brother? Then he won't dare to act."
Ba Shan Sacrificial Officer frowned deeply. "He knows my name. In ten years, he can use sorcery to kill me too. No, staying by your side is just a temporary fix. I have to hunt him down and cut him off to eliminate the root of the trouble!" With that, he called for his green ox and hurried away.
Qin Mu returned to the Scholars' Residence, looked at his room, and felt a bit of fear.
"If Ba Shan Senior Brother can't find Banguo, and that kid watches me every night, won't I never be able to sleep? No, I have to find that bastard! I'll leave this to the disciples of the Heavenly Saint Cult. Unless he hides back in the Golden Palace, he won't escape my eyes!"
Just as he thought this, a steward of the Scholars' Residence approached and said, "Doctor Qin, now that you're a divine ability practitioner, you should move to the Divine Ability Residence."
Several other stewards were helping Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang move, saying, "Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang have also broken through the wall and must leave the Scholars' Residence for the Divine Ability Residence."
Shen Wanyun and Si Yunxiang saw Qin Mu and quickly came over to thank him. "Without the Sect Master's Six Harmonies Calculation Classic, we wouldn't have entered the Six Harmonies Realm so quickly."
Qin Mu humbly replied, "It was just a small effort."
Shen Wanyun's expression was strange, and Si Yunxiang looked quite frustrated. For Qin Mu, it was a small effort, but for them, it was a tremendous help. Did she still have any hope of defeating this Sect Master and becoming the female Sect Master of the Heavenly Saint Cult?
"Scholars' Residence, I'm leaving!"
Shen Wanyun waved to the scholars who had come to see him off and laughed. "Whoever wants to be the senior brother, go fight for it yourselves!"
Yue Qinghong and Yun Que the monk both looked a bit uninterested. They exchanged a glance and smiled. "You two go to the Divine Ability Residence first. We'll be there in a couple of days. This senior brother position—let's leave it to the other junior brothers and sisters!"
Qin Mu and the other two walked toward the Divine Ability Residence, with the Dragon Qilin following behind them, determined to stick with Qin Mu wherever he went and never let go of this meal ticket.
"Oh, by the way."
Qin Mu remembered something and smiled. "The Crown Prince will leave the capital in a few days. He wants me to accompany him on a disaster relief tour. If you two have nothing to do, come along and gain some experience. Wanyun, now that you're a divine ability practitioner with considerable skill, after a few years of training, you can become an incense master of our sect."
Shen Wanyun's scalp tingled. He really didn't want to go out with him. "Every time I go out with the Sect Master, it's a life-and-death escape from danger. I'd better not. I've just reached the Six Harmonies Realm and need to stabilize this realm..."
Si Yunxiang's eyes sparkled. "I'll go!"
Qin Mu was about to speak when a steward from the Divine Ability Residence approached and said, "Shen Wanyun, the Crown Prince has called your name for this trip out of the capital. Besides you, there are over a dozen other scholars from the Divine Ability Residence."