Touch My Sister?

Li Pingsheng turned and walked into the veranda behind the ring.

The effects of the Ice Marrow Fluid had worn off.

The hidden injuries from unleashing Thunderclap Explosion flared up, sending waves of cold numbness through the meridians of his right arm.

He pressed his left hand against his trembling right arm, suppressing the roiling blood and qi within his body.

The price of defeating Chen Tieshan had finally arrived.

"Pingsheng! Something's happened!"

Lu Qingshan ran over.

"Something... something went wrong. Your sister Yunmei... Yunmei, she..."

"That bunch from the Zhao Family tricked your sister into the Inner City!"

Li Pingsheng turned back and asked, "What? Where is my sister now?"

"Right at the corridor entrance outside the Martial Practice Field," Lu Qingshan said. "I heard people outside saying they told Yunmei you were severely injured and dying during the match, and that you wanted to see her one last time... so I rushed over to find you..."

"Is she hurt?"

Li Pingsheng asked.

"Not yet, but..."

"Lead the way."

Li Pingsheng started walking as soon as he finished speaking.

On the way, Lu Qingshan hurriedly explained the situation.

The Zhao Family members hadn't taken Yunmei to the center of the Martial Practice Field, but had cornered her at a corridor entrance.

That spot was obstructed from view, making it difficult to alert the Hall Master and Pei Guang on the high platform.

"I saw two Zhao Family guards watching Yunmei. Their temples were bulging high; they're clearly tough hands."

"They're guarding against you trying to snatch her back by force."

Rounding a corner.

Li Pingsheng saw them.

Yunmei was blocked into a corner by two guards, her back against a brick wall.

The two men stood left and right, completely sealing off her path.

The young girl's face was pale, her eyes rimmed with red, but she wasn't crying or shouting.

When she saw Li Pingsheng, she bit her lip. Her small hand, pricked by needles while sewing the Peace Talisman, was clutching a piece of red string tightly.

The siblings locked eyes from several yards away.

Li Pingsheng saw the fear in her eyes, but also saw her holding back her tears.

He gave a slight nod.

"Oh my, isn't this Junior Brother Li from our martial arts hall? Congratulations, congratulations. You've truly made a name for yourself in one battle."

Several of Zhao Ming's lackeys stepped out from the shadows. The leader wore a fake smile, speaking loudly for the passing disciples to hear.

"Junior Brother Li, you must be exhausted after that fight, right? And your right arm injury has worsened?"

"Our Young Master Zhao loves talent the most, so he specifically sent us to deliver a precious medicine to stabilize your meridians, so it doesn't affect your future matches."

The lead lackey produced a jade bottle.

But under the Synesthesia talent, Li Pingsheng "saw" wisps of black energy drifting inside the bottle. Beneath the medicinal scent lay a foul, fishy stench.

This wasn't a precious medicine.

It was poison!!

"Junior Brother Li, please 'sign for' it."

The lackey said.

A telepathic message entered Li Pingsheng's ears.

"Now, drink it right in front of us. Drink it, and your sister can sit safely on the sidelines to watch your next match. Don't drink it, and she won't be walking out of this Martial Practice Field today."

Li Pingsheng scanned the situation: his right arm was injured, and the two guards were positioned in a tricky formation.

If he tried to snatch her by force, he only needed to be a split second too slow, and those two pairs of hands could be around Yunmei's throat.

He couldn't afford to gamble.

He buried his killing intent deep in his heart and reached out to take the jade bottle.

"Brother..."

Yunmei seemed to sense something. Her body leaned forward slightly, her eyes turning even redder as she gripped the red string of the Peace Talisman tighter.

Li Pingsheng didn't look at her. He pulled out the stopper and downed the entire bottle of liquid in one gulp.

The liquid was bitter as it hit his throat.

A stream of cold, numbing energy slid down his throat and into his belly, lunging toward his heart meridian.

The lackeys nearby watched him actually drink it, their faces full of smug triumph.

It's done!

Mission accomplished!

As soon as the potion entered his body, his Martial Wisdom talent kicked into full gear.

Li Pingsheng immediately analyzed the nature of this poison.

This poison was specifically designed for those with vigorous blood and qi who had also utilized thunder-attribute spiritual power.

The toxicity would actively burrow into the old injury in his right arm, entangling and merging with the lingering Thunderbolt Fist energy.

The moment he activated Thunderbolt Fist again, this toxic force would shatter his meridians, cripple his right arm, and even ravage his internal organs.

He couldn't purge it.

Attempting to purge the poison now would cause his blood and qi to run wild.

Li Pingsheng immediately formed a plan.

First, he activated the Blood Strengthening specialty.

The power of his blood and qi dispersed the toxic force lunging for his heart, and he used his Tiger Bone talent to forcefully resist the rest.

His bones and internal organs began to harden against the toxicity.

Finally, he forced the majority of the poison into the meridians of his already injured right arm.

This wasn't detoxification.

This was sacrificing an arm to buy his life for the time being.

The intense pain turned his face pale, cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his right hand trembled violently.

To the Zhao Family lackeys, his appearance meant the poison was taking effect.

"Very good, haha..."

The lead lackey nodded and transmitted his voice: "Junior Brother Li, you know what's good for you."

Li Pingsheng endured the tearing sensation in his right arm, wanting to go up and retrieve his sister.

"Hey, don't be in such a rush."

The lackey raised a hand to stop him.

"Young Master Zhao specifically gave instructions."

"Since the little girl is so worried about her brother, she might as well stay by the ring and watch how Junior Brother Li 'shows off his might' later."

The voice transmission followed immediately.

"Once you have your bones broken on the ring and are completely incapacitated, she will naturally be allowed to leave."

Li Pingsheng understood.

Drinking the poison hadn't bought his sister's safety; it had bought humiliation.

Zhao Ming wanted Yunmei to watch with her own eyes as her brother was beaten into a cripple.

"You!!"

Lu Qingshan's eyes turned red, and he moved to charge forward.

Li Pingsheng pressed his left hand down on him.

The two guards flanked Yunmei, "escorting" her toward the Zhao Family's viewing area.

To outsiders, it looked like they were taking care of a fellow disciple's sister and finding her a good seat.

In reality, it was moving her to a position where she could be more easily monitored and used to threaten Li Pingsheng.

Yunmei looked back at her brother every few steps, tears swirling in her eyes, but she didn't cry out.

Before she was taken away, Li Pingsheng whispered, "Don't be afraid, just watch your brother."

After Yunmei was taken away, Li Pingsheng leaned against a pillar, his throat turning sweet, and he nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Inside his right arm, the toxicity was mixing with the thunder energy of his old injury.

"Pingsheng! How are you now?"

Lu Qingshan asked, "I'll go find Master Pei, or even go to the Hall Master!"

"Don't go."

Li Pingsheng held him back, "If we make a scene now, Yunmei will only be in more danger."

He quickly checked the state of his body.

The poison wasn't gone; it was just temporarily suppressed in his right arm.

In the upcoming match, the moment he used Thunderbolt Fist, the best-case scenario was his meridians snapping, and the worst was his right arm being permanently crippled.

But he also discovered that this poison possessed the property of Injury-Inducing Explosive Force.

It was a poison, yet also a medicine.

Li Pingsheng looked toward the edge of the spectator stand.

Yunmei had been "arranged" into a seat, her gaze fixed constantly on the direction of the arena, watching him.

High up in the stands, Zhao Ming received the message that his subordinates had finished the job.

He picked up a cup of tea and took a sip.

A piece of trash with a crippled right arm and a dose of poison in his system.

Next, it was time for the show he had prepared for this piece of trash.

The poison remained unpurged.

His sister was still held captive.

The next match.

He, Li Pingsheng, would ensure Yunmei remained unharmed, and he would absolutely send that Zhao Ming flying!!