Waiting by a Tree Stump for Rabbits

The reason he had not been poisoned was because he had contracted Bone-Piercing Green. Not only was Bone-Piercing Green's poison useless against him, but other poisons were useless as well.

Bone-Piercing Green was the most poisonous spirit plant in the cultivation world. Even in its seedling stage, Nascent Soul Realm cultivators did not dare provoke it lightly.

Let alone Bone-Piercing Green that had already contracted with a cultivator and grew alongside them—no one dared provoke it.

However, contracting Bone-Piercing Green was no simple matter. Some cultivators could not withstand the poison in its body and were poisoned to death. It was both the spirit plant every healer, medicine cultivator, and alchemy cultivator most wished to contract, and the one they feared most.

Mo Qingran was now at the Nascent Soul Late Stage. The Bone-Piercing Green he had contracted was far more terrifying than one in its seedling stage, which was why even the Radiant Moon City Lord, already in the Void Refinement Realm, feared it so deeply that he did not dare touch it. After all, that old thing feared death most of all.

Remembering that Mo Qingran had yet to answer his earlier question, Shen Ziheng asked again, "Senior Brother Mo, you still haven't told me why you didn't send word to my parents and Martial Uncle Mu that you were trapped."

Feng Wuhen had already seen it in Mo Qingran's past. It wasn't that Senior Brother Mo didn't want to send word. It was that messages couldn't be sent from here—the place has a barrier that prevents communication.

Whether it was Senior Brother Mo, Miss Bai, or the others who had been captured or tricked here, their spiritual power had not been sealed. Some could even continue cultivating.

Aside from satisfying the Radiant Moon City Lord's selfish desires, these people were also furnace vessels he had prepared for himself. That was why he would not seal their spiritual veins and prevent them from cultivating.

He was an array cultivator, and a Void Refinement Realm array cultivator at that. Setting up an array that prevented messages from being sent and people from escaping was child's play for him.

Among those captured or deceived into coming here, Senior Brother Mo had the highest cultivation. They had no way to break through the array trapping them.

After investigating for some time, Senior Brother Mo had found a flaw in the array. At a certain time and in a certain place, messages could be sent out.

But now that we're here, four Nascent Soul Realm cultivators should be able to break this array, right? Still, when the array is broken, its master will sense it. That fellow is in the Void Refinement Realm, so he won't be easy to deal with. How about poisoning him first? Even if it can't kill him, cutting his combat strength by more than half would do.

Mo Qingran suddenly heard such a long string of thoughts. Just as he was about to ask whether the others had heard them too, his good junior brother covered his mouth and dragged him aside. After explaining things to him, he finally made Mo Qingran keep quiet.

After learning the truth, Mo Qingran looked at Feng Wuhen with admiration in his eyes. His new junior brother was impressive. Once he returned, he had to tell his master, as well as the Sect Master and the Sect Master's wife, about this.

The Sect Master's wife would surely be overjoyed to death at having such a fine son who could listen to gossip anytime he wished.

If Feng Wuhen polished up the gossip he saw a little and turned it into illustrated storybooks to sell, they would definitely be wildly popular. Later, he had to find a way to remind Feng Wuhen of that. Then he could read gossip anytime and anywhere.

"Now we need to contact Eldest Senior Brother and the others. But communication talismans can't be used here, so we'll have to search through the courtyards one by one."

Thinking this, Shen Ziheng said to the others, "Let's split up and call them over. Then we can gather together and discuss what to do. Many hands make light work."

"You're right. Then let's split up and look for them."

After agreeing, Feng Wuhen said to the silent Bai Suji, "Miss Bai, we'll go find Eldest Senior Brother. Please wait here for a moment. Don't worry—we will definitely get all of you out."

Bai Suji held her teacup and nodded. Feng Wuhen ran through the entire residence and called Qin Xiaoran and the others to Mo Qingran's courtyard.

Once everyone had gathered, Hua Yichen looked at Mo Qingran and asked in surprise, "Mo Qingran, why are you here? Don't tell me you were tricked into coming here too?"

Mo Qingran was quite familiar with him. Hearing that, he rolled his eyes. "I came to save people, only to end up trapped here. Did you think I was you, getting fooled by someone?"

Mo Qingran knew that there was a junior sister by Hua Yichen's side who had been plotting against him. He had even warned him once before, but Hua Yichen had not believed him at all.

Thinking of this, Mo Qingran glanced to Hua Yichen's left and right. He did not see the junior sister who had always clung to him while harboring schemes against him. "Oh? No wonder something felt missing when I saw you today. Where's that little tagalong junior sister of yours? What, did you finally see her true colors and drive her away?"

Hua Yichen recalled how Mo Qingran had warned him before that Xu Niannian was deeply calculating. At the time, he had not believed him and had not taken his goodwill to heart. Now that Mo Qingran brought Xu Niannian up again, he immediately felt guilty.

"She... she's a living person, not someone with nothing better to do. How could she follow me around all day?"

Seeing his guilty expression, Mo Qingran felt there was a secret here. Just as he was about to press further, Xia Jingcheng suddenly stepped in front of Hua Yichen and looked at him indifferently.

Mo Qingran silently complained to himself, You dog men, acting as though no one else has a Dao companion. Well, all right, I really don't.

Seeing that they were gradually wandering off-topic, Qin Xiaoran coughed lightly several times to remind them, "Save these private matters until this is over. Let's discuss serious business first."

Once they had all quieted down, he continued, "The Radiant Moon City Lord is in the Void Refinement Realm. Even with four Nascent Soul Realm cultivators against him, he won't be easy to deal with. Nor can we place all our hopes on our elders. It will take time for them to rush over from the sect."

"We need to think of a way to deal with him using a roundabout strategy. The best method is poison!"

As Qin Xiaoran said this, he looked at Mo Qingran. Mo Qingran had been thinking the same thing, but that old undead bastard was already wary of him. It was impossible for him to administer the poison.

"I've been threatening him with poison all along. He's already on guard against me, so it's impossible to start with me."

Listening to their plan, Bai Suji stepped forward voluntarily. "He isn't wary of me. It would be most suitable for me to poison him."

But Mo Qingran was not at ease. "He isn't wary of you only compared to me. You resisted him before. If you suddenly become gentle and agreeable toward him, that old beast cannot possibly not be suspicious."

Upon hearing his words, Bai Suji had a flash of inspiration and came up with an idea.

"Making him believe me will be easy. He knows I've always wanted to escape, and he has always wanted to possess you.

"Later, help me create the appearance that I'm about to die. When he comes, I'll approach him on my own and tell him that I'm dying and want freedom before I die.

"As long as he lets me have my freedom, I can do anything for him, including helping him obtain you.

"He is also someone on the brink of death. He knows how mad a person can become when facing death, so he won't suspect anything.

"Then I'll take the opportunity to make him drink the poison. It's just that making up a weakness that will convince him is somewhat difficult for me."

Bai Suji's method was a good one. Bing Ling gave her a thumbs-up. "Miss, you're pretty smart."

It was the first time someone had praised her like that, and Bai Suji felt a little shy. "N-No, I was just too anxious and suddenly thought of it."

Mo Qingran felt the plan was feasible. Creating the pulse of someone on the verge of death was no difficult matter for him. As for his weakness, if they mixed truth and lies together, that fellow would not be able to tell.

"Suji's idea is good. And that old thing will come tonight. We'll put it into action tonight!"

Mo Qingran had been observing the days on which the Radiant Moon City Lord came. That old thing had not come often before, but recently, he came once every three days.

Today happened to be the day he was due to come. Mo Qingran and the others prepared everything, then waited for that old thing to walk into their trap.