Poison Arts

Xue Mu woke in a daze. It was already broad daylight. He reached out beside him, but the bed was empty. Qianqian had already vanished without a trace.

For a moment, he wondered if last night had been a dream... But once he had fully woken up, he knew it hadn't. He really had casually slept with a rising star adored by the whole Capital City—and without spending a penny.

Xue Mu shook his head, unable to make sense of his feelings. He sat up and was about to get out of bed when he suddenly froze.

Xue Qingqiu was sitting at the table in his room, reading a book. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, lending her an air of refinement, even holiness, as she read. It was a striking contrast to her image as a demon queen. Yet her casual entrance into a man's room was undeniably wicked. The two entirely different charms blended perfectly in her at that moment, stirring his heart.

The thought that she might have watched the whole erotic spectacle last night made his heart itch even more. Xue Mu forced out a breath and got up.

"Awake?" Xue Qingqiu asked casually, without looking up.

"Mm." Xue Mu filled a basin with water to wash up. "Sister, did you need something this early?"

"It's not early. A major event has already happened."

"Uh... What happened?"

"Xiahou Di formally conveyed her willingness to cooperate. The first thing she did was release Yin Ye as a gesture of sincerity. Chan'er has already gone to collect her." Xue Qingqiu finally looked up and smiled at Xue Mu. "The Star Moon Sect can't do without Yin Ye. We have you to thank for making this happen."

Xue Mu rubbed his face and smiled. "We're family. It's only right."

Xue Qingqiu gave a soft "Mm," seeming to accept his words in the spirit of family, then said, "Xiahou Di will host a banquet for us tonight to discuss the details of our cooperation. Is there anything you want to tell me beforehand?"

Xue Mu shook his head. "Nothing else. This is a first in this world. I'm no immortal who can foresee everything, so we'll have to feel our way across the river, one step at a time. But I'd like you to fill me in on the Star Moon Sect's operations in various regions so I know what I'm dealing with."

"Starting today, you can consult all the sect's records, including those on our businesses and personnel in every region." Xue Qingqiu smiled. "You'll have plenty to keep you busy."

Xue Mu smiled. "I don't mind being busy. It's enough that you trust me."

"Of course I trust you. You're my younger brother." Xue Qingqiu said it as if it were nothing. Xue Mu couldn't tell how much she meant it, so he smiled too. "That's right."

Their relationship had reached a very strange point. One step forward, and they would be as close as family; one step back, and they would be strangers despite being only inches apart. Too many factors had brought them to this point. Xue Mu had no idea how to deal with the complicated situation, so he could only take things as they came.

Xue Qingqiu tapped the book in her hands. "I studied this Hundred Herbs Record all night, and I've come up with some ideas about your condition."

"You didn't sleep all night?" Xue Mu sat across from her and spoke softly. "You didn't have to push yourself so hard."

"Going a month without sleep would be nothing to me." Xue Qingqiu laughed. "Are you really worrying about the health of someone who could kill ten thousand people like you with a flick of her wrist? Don't make me laugh. You're the one who should be careful. You have no cultivation, yet you go at it like a pile driver, as if you think you're amazing."

Xue Mu: "..."

Xue Qingqiu didn't keep bantering. She got to the point. "This book has three sections. The first is about identifying various poisons. The second covers preparing, administering, and neutralizing them. We can leave those aside for now. If you're interested, you can study them later; they'd make a useful means of self-defense. The third section covers cultivating poison arts, which is quite suitable for your current condition."

Xue Mu listened intently.

Xue Qingqiu was pleased with his attitude and continued explaining. "Put simply, the usual sign that someone has laid the foundation of martial arts is that their true qi flows through all their meridians, cleansing their marrow and removing every impurity from their body, returning their flesh to its innate state. Your situation is troublesome. If the poison lodged deep in your body is forcibly removed, it could badly damage your foundations and make things worse. Poison cultivation works the opposite way: you absorb toxins and merge them into your true qi until they're indistinguishable. The more impurities and poisons you absorb and fuse together, the stronger your poison arts become. You first harm yourself, then harm others. It's the opposite of the conventional path, and it seems quite suited to your condition."

This really was a world that valued practical written teachings. She explained things so plainly and clearly that even Xue Mu, who had no foundation at all, understood every word. He couldn't help saying, "This really does suit me. If I can control the poison myself, I won't need to keep taking medicine."

"Cultivating poison arts brings three main problems. First, it cuts off the usual path of advancement. Your strength depends entirely on how much poison you absorb. But even if you absorbed every poison in the world and fused them into the most potent poison under heaven, you still couldn't poison me to death..."

Xue Mu waved a hand and smiled. "The upper limit's too low, I get it. Anyway, what use is it to cultivate to heaven-defying heights? I'm not interested in steadily leveling up and training."

Xue Qingqiu shook her head with a laugh. "Second, cultivating poison arts isn't something you can do by shutting yourself away and training. You have to try every poison under heaven... Well, that's actually an advantage for you. Most of the poisons in your body are ones I've never heard of. There's enough for you to absorb and fuse for several years. And with the Star Moon Sect's resources, gathering poisons for you won't be difficult. Put the two together, and you may find poison cultivation easy."

Xue Mu felt relieved. That was the benefit of having a powerful backer: someone to guide him through the cultivation method, and no need to worry about resources. Which transmigrator had it this easy? They were all trampled underfoot, burdened with bitter grudges...

Xue Qingqiu still looked grave. She said seriously, "The last point is the crucial one. Cultivating poison arts is incredibly dangerous. The slightest mistake could mean certain death, with no remedy available. Even Young Master Zhao couldn't survive it. You..."

That really was a major problem... Xue Mu grew serious and asked, "Where does the danger mainly lie?"

"First, poison arts themselves provide powerful resistance to poison, but a mortal body still struggles to withstand the invasion of myriad toxins. The more you absorb, the more your body deteriorates, and the shorter your lifespan becomes. But I don't think that'll be a major problem for you. You're already poisoned to the point of no return, yet you're still full of energy. You're a marvel of creation."

Xue Mu: "..."

"Every sect's basic cultivation method emphasizes concentration and tranquility. Some sects suffer from such strong inner demons and rampant illusions that they need the Ice Heart Formula to suppress them. But the Poison Sect's cultivation method offers no such effect, because the Poison Sect's path has absolutely nothing to do with the mind or the soul. If you're disturbed at any point during cultivation—or even if you just get distracted by some bothersome thought—you could easily lose control of the poison qi and die without knowing what killed you. People in the Poison Sect can cultivate this way because they've laid all kinds of foundations before they start. You're different: you have no foundation at all, and your whole body is already poisoned..." Xue Qingqiu looked troubled. "I'll have to think of a way to solve this."

Xue Mu was quiet for a while, then said hesitantly, "If that's the biggest problem, I think I can give it a try..."

Xue Qingqiu raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"

The patterns on his palm seemed to have the ability to focus his mind and ward off distractions. Xue Mu wasn't entirely sure, though, so he said, "How about we test it?"

"How?"

"Meng Lan used her Bewitching Arts on me last time, didn't she? I really didn't feel as if my mind had been bewitched. Why don't you try again, Sister, and turn it up a notch? I'll see if I can withstand it. If I can handle that, it seems like there shouldn't be much of a problem."

Xue Qingqiu gave him a faintly amused look. "With serious matters at hand, you still have the mood to tease me. Should I say lust has clouded your mind, or what?"

Xue Mu laughed helplessly. "I'm serious this time. I really just want to test it."

"Test it?" An amused smile curled Xue Qingqiu's lips. "If you fall under my spell and become madly infatuated with me, I won't undo it for you."

Xue Mu smiled faintly. "Then I'll fall for you."