Hidden secrets

Su Bonian sprang to his feet, his voice trembling slightly with excitement. "You... you really came!"

Lu Changfeng stepped into the cell and nodded slightly. "Just in time." Without another word, he walked straight up to Su Bonian. "Relax your mind. Do not resist."

With that, Lu Changfeng held two fingers together like a sword. A wisp of lush, emerald-green xiantian true essence, brimming with vitality, coiled around his fingertips as he thrust them sharply toward the ancestral aperture between Su Bonian's brows!

Boom!

As the true essence entered his body, Su Bonian shuddered violently.

Lu Changfeng's Shennong Qi flowed into his parched meridians like warm spring water, yet that surging vitality seemed to awaken a slumbering venomous dragon!

"Argh-"

Su Bonian could not hold back a muffled howl of pain. Strange, dark-red markings abruptly surfaced on his skin, and a scorching, sinister aura spread outward.

The [Immeasurable Seal] was, in essence, a wisp of life-bound true qi refined through the Three Vows of Longhua Art by the leader of the Great Vehicle Sect, a Great Grandmaster at the pinnacle of the fifth realm.

Tempered through countless trials, this wisp of true qi had been condensed to an inconceivable degree, reaching the realm where spirit and qi united. Within it lay the martial will of Karmic Fire Scorching the Body!

In Lu Changfeng's perception, that dark-red true qi now resembled a venomous serpent possessed of intelligence. Not only was it extraordinarily tenacious, it was deeply entwined around the vital points of Su Bonian's heart meridians, almost fused with his blood and qi.

It constantly released a scorching qi poison, seeking to stir the deepest fears and karmic burdens within his heart.

-Karmic Fire Scorching the Body, Karmic Realm Reincarnation!

Su Bonian felt as though his meridians were burning. Illusions swarmed through his mind, tormenting him beyond endurance!

Lu Changfeng's expression grew grave. Though his Shennong Qi countered the other energy by nature, this wisp of true qi was of exceedingly high quality. It was like trying to dissolve thick, poisonous glue with clear water-no easy task!

He drove his cultivation art with all his strength, a glazed-glass sheen rising over his body.

The surging xiantian true essence within his dantian poured into Su Bonian without cease, like floodwaters through an opened sluice, seeking to extinguish that evil fire!

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his face gradually paled.

Su Bonian knew they had reached the critical moment. His body seemed to have become a battlefield, trembling fiercely between vitality and karmic fire, yet he clenched his teeth and dared not move!

Time trickled past, until only labored breathing remained within the cell.

Qing Dai clenched her fists nervously.

At last, just as Lu Changfeng felt that more than half his true essence had been spent and he could barely continue, the stubborn wisp of dark-red true qi was forcibly worn away, dissolving into pure vital energy.

"Pfft-"

Su Bonian suddenly spat out a great mouthful of thick, black, foul-smelling blood.

The blood hissed as it struck the ground, revealing just how potent its poison was!

As the poisoned blood left his body, the dark-red markings slowly faded, and an unprecedented sense of relief swept through him.

The shackles that had tormented him for years had shattered!

In disbelief, he felt his blood and qi circulating entirely under his own control for the first time in so long. Excitement, wild joy, and the bewildering sense of having emerged into another lifetime flooded his heart at once. Even this expert, who had once stepped into the domain of martial intent, felt his eyes grow hot.

He drew a deep breath, forcibly subdued his churning emotions, and bowed with utmost solemnity to the pale-faced Lu Changfeng!

"Master Lu, by purging this poison, you have given me a new life. My gratitude knows no bounds!"

"No need..."

Lu Changfeng was indeed utterly drained. Forcibly expelling that extraordinarily tenacious wisp of the Great Vehicle Sect leader's true qi had depleted most of his own reserves.

He swayed slightly, cold sweat covering his temples. Even remaining upright was a struggle.

Qing Dai, who had been watching him intently, immediately darted forward and supported his arm. Her eyes were filled with tenderness and worry as she called softly, "Sir..."

Leaning on Qing Dai for support, Lu Changfeng caught his breath and waved a hand at Su Bonian. "No need for such courtesy... each of us got what we needed."

Su Bonian knew what he meant. Gritting his teeth, he said gravely, "You have freed me from my suffering, sir, and I will tell you everything! I ask only... only that you keep me alive!"

He knew that once he lost the poisonous seal's "protection" and revealed the secret, he would immediately become a target for every faction seeking to silence him!

Lu Changfeng shook his head gently. "I purged your poison on the princess's orders. Your life is not mine to decide."

Su Bonian's face went white. Just as despair seized him, a cool, commanding voice rang out from beyond the cell door. "This Palace gives you my word!"

Princess Taiping had arrived at the secret prison without anyone noticing. Dressed in everyday clothes, she stood outside the door surrounded by trusted attendants. With a casual point toward Lu Changfeng's Shanzhong acupoint, she sent a stream of utterly pure true qi to warm and nourish his dantian.

Then Princess Taiping flicked a finger, sending a lustrous white pill into Qing Dai's hand.

"Give it to him."

Qing Dai looked closely and saw that it was a [Spirit Radiance Pill], a superior third-tier healing medicine. Delighted, she immediately helped Lu Changfeng sit down, carefully fed him the pill, and assisted him in refining its medicinal power and regulating his breathing.

Only then did Princess Taiping turn her gaze to Su Bonian. "If you tell the truth, sparing your life is not out of the question... speak. What exactly did Zhang Yizhi have you hide?"

Hearing this, Su Bonian knew it was his only chance of survival. Not daring to conceal anything further, he drew a deep breath and slowly said, "It was... the [Blood Tai Sui]."

The others did not understand, but Princess Taiping's pupils abruptly contracted, and her voice turned cold. "He dared defy the order? He didn't destroy it?!"

Su Bonian nodded. "When Empress Wu ordered it burned, Zhang Yizhi switched the beams and pillars, using a fake to go through the motions while smuggling the real thing out of the palace. He hid it at the foot of Zhongnan Mountain! In the eighth month of the third year of the Chang'an era, Empress Wu returned to the Divine Capital after paying homage to her ancestors. Sensing changes in the political situation, Zhang Yizhi had already begun preparing a fallback. He secretly buried the treasures he had amassed together with the Blood Tai Sui. But in the end... when the Five Kings restored rightful rule, neither he nor Zhang Changzong escaped that day..."

"Those who bring ruin upon themselves cannot live!"

After hearing him out, a cold curve flickered across Princess Taiping's lips. "No wonder the Great Vehicle Sect has spared no effort. No wonder Wu Sansi has exhausted every scheme. So it was all for the Blood Tai Sui... you were the one who buried it. Before everything went wrong, did you not tell the Great Vehicle Sect where the treasure was hidden?"

Su Bonian shook his head with a bitter smile. "How could I lightly disclose a secret like that? Our agreement was that they had to escort me safely out of Chang'an before I revealed the precise location. The martial world is treacherous. If I showed my whole hand too soon, I feared..."

He paused, the words left unsaid carrying a weight of their own.

Princess Taiping nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his answer. "Cautious, at least. Where exactly is the treasure hidden?"

"In a secret cave beneath Jade Pillar Peak on Zhongnan Mountain."

Su Bonian answered truthfully. "But Zhang Yizhi brought in a great gu master from the Miao Borderlands to fill the cave with gu poison and miasma. Without something to ward off poison, even a Great Grandmaster would struggle to venture deep inside."

"Something to ward off poison?"

Princess Taiping's brows knitted slightly.

"Precisely."

Su Bonian sighed. "Zhang Yizhi originally carried a Poison-Averting Pearl, a supreme treasure of the Miao Borderlands. It was tribute the Nanzhao Kingdom once presented to Empress Wu, and it could repel gu poison. Unfortunately... after the upheaval that night, it fell into the Prince of Liang's hands."

Princess Taiping's gaze sharpened. "Wu Sansi?"

Meanwhile.

Within Crescent Moon Hall at the Prince of Liang's Residence.

Wu Sansi sat in the seat of honor, toying with a jade-green pearl the size of a longan.

The pearl was translucent throughout, with what seemed to be a cloud of green mist swirling endlessly within it. It gave off a soft, clear radiance—it was none other than the supreme treasure of the Miao Borderlands, the Poison-Averting Pearl!

Below him, his favorite daughter, Wu Lingyun, stood respectfully beside a man of about thirty-five or thirty-six.

The man wore sumptuous robes and had a handsome, refined face. His every glance carried an air of cultured charm. He was Cui Shi, Wu Sansi's trusted adviser, a member of the Cui Clan of Boling who currently served as Secretariat Drafter.

Not only was he exceptionally gifted, but his handsome appearance and graceful bearing had made his name famous throughout Chang'an. He was renowned across the Great Tang as both a beauty among men and a man of letters.

Wu Sansi looked up from the Poison-Averting Pearl, a cold smile of assured calculation lingering on his lips, and turned to Cui Shi. "Minister Cui, judging by the time, the Immeasurable Seal on Su Bonian should be due to flare up. Taiping must be running herself ragged by now, wouldn't you say?"

Cui Shi bowed slightly, his movements elegant and composed, his voice clear. "Your Highness sees keenly. So far, the Princess's Residence has shown no sign of contacting the Great Vehicle Sect. That is somewhat unusual... I believe there may be an unforeseen turn in this matter."

Wu Lingyun also found it strange. "Could the Shennong Glazed Glass Art really have fallen into that Little Physician's hands? But I've had so many people study the Medicine King's manuscript over the past few days, and none of them found anything unusual... how is that possible? Even Zhang Shouzhuo and Sun Huaijin, both disciples of the Medicine King, failed to spot a clue. How could he discover it in so little time, let alone master it?"

Her brows were tightly furrowed, her face full of bewilderment.

Wu Sansi looked at his daughter. "What did Sun Huaijin say?"

"The same as always."

Wu Lingyun curled her lip. "He said he couldn't find any clues... and Zhang Shouzhuo's sudden death frightened him. Lately, he's been hiding in the Palace Physician's duty room, too afraid to come out. He even has others pass along letters and documents..."

A look of contempt crossed her face. "And to think he's a Palace Physician of the Medical Pharmacy Bureau, the court's chief medical official! Someone else's poison has scared him into this state!"

"We must not be careless."

Wu Sansi said gravely, "Zhang Shouzhuo died under suspicious circumstances, and your master is in seclusion. You must exercise more caution."

"I know-"

Wu Lingyun drew out the words with a daughter's petulance. "Don't worry, Father. I know my limits." Then her expression turned serious. "But if Lu Changfeng really has mastered the Shennong Glazed Glass Art... he might genuinely be able to break the Immeasurable Seal."

"So what if he does?"

Wu Sansi sneered dismissively, raising the Poison-Averting Pearl before his eyes to examine it. "To protect the Blood Tai Sui, Zhang Yizhi went to extraordinary lengths to enlist Chi Ming, the High Priest of the Nanzhao Kingdom, and have him lay his unique gu poison at the hiding place. Even in death, the foremost poison expert of Nanzhao could never have imagined that he would be silenced inside the poison formation he had arranged with his own hands."

He gave a cold laugh, his plans already fully formed. "Even in the Miao Borderlands, this Poison-Averting Pearl is a treasure rare beyond measure, exceedingly difficult to obtain. Without it, however many experts Taiping commands, every last one who enters will die! Even if she breaks the Immeasurable Seal and learns where the treasure is hidden, she will merely be sewing a wedding gown for me!"

At this point, his voice sharpened as he instructed Cui Shi. "Tell our men to watch closely. Once she learns the location, she will surely send out several parties to muddle our eyes and ears. Keep them under close watch! Once we find the hiding place, whose hands the Blood Tai Sui falls into remains to be seen!"

Cui Shi bowed in acknowledgment. "Your Highness plans far ahead. I have already arranged for Crescent Moon Hall's most capable spies to monitor the movements of the Princess's Residence's key personnel in shifts, day and night. Any move they make will not escape our eyes."

Something suddenly occurred to Wu Lingyun, and she asked, "Father, how should we deal with that Little Physician, Lu Changfeng?"

A sinister gleam flashed through Wu Sansi's eyes. "Once the seven-day deadline passes, spread word that he has mastered the Medicine King's supreme art, the Shennong Glazed Glass Art. We won't need to trouble ourselves with the rest."

Wu Lingyun's eyes brightened at this, and she clapped her hands with a laugh. "An excellent plan! If Medicine King Valley learns of this, they certainly won't let it rest. And if the Great Vehicle Sect hears that he can break the Immeasurable Seal, they won't be satisfied until they've killed him!"

She sighed softly, a trace of regret in her voice. "Truth be told, I rather admire this Little Physician. To possess such ability at his age. What a pity..."

Just then, Wu Sansi recalled another matter and turned to Cui Shi. "Tomorrow is the twentieth day of the third month, the Ten-Day Recess. As usual, Taiping's residence will be hosting a literary gathering. Has the Phoenix Feather Invitation arrived?"

Cui Shi answered calmly, "It arrived at the residence three days ago."

Wu Sansi smiled meaningfully. "An excellent opportunity to gather information. I won't go and make a spectacle of myself. You will attend in my stead. I think Taiping admires you quite a bit..."

He deliberately paused, his tone suggestive. "If you can take matters further and become a guest behind her bedchamber curtains, I would be pleased to see it happen."

Cui Shi's expression remained unchanged. He merely bowed slightly. "I will do my utmost."