Poisoning Fang Qi

"You dead fatty, you've got your own, why are you grabbing mine?"

"There's no name written on these... whoever bites it gets it. Ah... my hand..."

"Haha, you said it yourself, it's mine now. Aren't you always going on about having taste, knowing how to enjoy life? Eat a bit, you can have more when the big meal comes."

"When you're hungry, you don't think that much. You talk about taste after you're full and drunk. Delicious—haven't eaten this well in ages."

The servants nearby stared dumbfounded. Just now, the Family Head and Gao Ren had come out shouting they were hungry. They'd originally planned to whip up a big feast right away, but after getting chewed out, they finally caught on and brought out whatever pastries and kitchen supplies were on hand.

Then they witnessed a shocking sight: the Family Head and this fatty looked like they'd just fled a famine, wolfing everything down, snatching and fighting over it. In their eyes, enough food for six or seven ordinary people was devoured before their very eyes.

The fatty leaned back in his chair, patting his belly: "Comfortable. Food really tastes better when you're hungry."

"No problem. I can grant that wish—feed you once every three days from now on." Ren Jie's consumption from cultivating the Jade Emperor Art Body Refining Chapter was even greater. If not for the medicinal power stored in his body from before, he probably wouldn't have lasted this long.

"Uh... actually, my food tastes this good anytime I eat." Gao Ren's words turned faster than anyone's, but then he suddenly remembered something and looked at Ren Jie: "Meal Ticket Boss, I spent three days and two nights refining that medicine you suddenly changed. What were you doing? Why didn't you eat either?"

Gao Ren only forgot everything when he was immersed in alchemy, so that was understandable. But he couldn't figure out what could have starved the Ren Family Head, who used to be unable to endure even a little hardship, to this point.

"As the Family Head of the Ren Family, one of the Five Great Families in Jade Capital City, This Family Head naturally has to lead by example and work hard, forgetting to eat and sleep to cultivate." Ren Jie said it very seriously.

Work hard? Forget to eat and sleep? Gao Ren nearly burst out laughing at that. If anyone else said it, it might pass, but coming from Ren Jie, it was a complete joke.

"Laugh if you want. Your face is about to cramp from holding it in. By the way, how's the medicine coming?" Seeing Gao Ren stifling his laughter, Ren Jie found it amusing. Sometimes, there was no need to lie when it wasn't necessary, and he knew without thinking that even if he said it, no one would believe him—they'd take it as a joke. So why bother lying?

But Ren Jie didn't want to dwell on it either. Seeing the fatty trying to hold back his laughter, he shifted the topic to the medicine.

"Ha... heh... hey... no, no..." Gao Ren waved his hand, shaking his head vigorously, but his laughter still slipped through. Only when he heard Ren Jie ask about the medicine did he barely manage to control himself.

"With me handling it, of course there's no problem. Not only did I refine this Hundred Illusions Poison, but because I broke through the hundred unpredictable variations of it, I've now firmly entered the ranks of Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary. From now on, I can refine all kinds of Top Tier Potions." Mentioning this, the fatty Gao Ren immediately became incredibly excited and thrilled, because he hadn't just finished the medicine—his own alchemy level had risen significantly as well.

A Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary! If Gao Ren revealed this identity, he'd become a star throughout the entire Jade Emperor Academy. Once he became a Spirit Alchemist, his status would even surpass that of an average Divine Power Realm cultivator. Even as a Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary, he'd be highly valued by the major families, let alone at his age while still in the academy.

But Gao Ren never let anyone know his identity as a Miraculous Apothecary. In others' eyes, he was just a thug Ren Jie had picked up from a gambling den—one of many followers who was good at flattering Ren Jie and whom Ren Jie favored.

A few years ago, a third-year student at Jade Emperor Academy reached Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary before graduation. Word had it he was taken away by an Alchemy Sect, making the whole academy proud for a while. That person was much older than Gao Ren in terms of age.

"Hundred Illusions—not a bad name. Alright, get ready, and we'll make our move soon." If it were anyone else, even within a family, a young disciple reaching Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary would be a big deal. But Ren Jie had experienced too many incredible things; his realm and vision were now very high, so he didn't pay it much mind. And though Gao Ren was a little excited, he didn't take being a Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary too seriously either, and certainly wouldn't act that way in front of Ren Jie. After all, he'd reached it half a year earlier than expected solely because of Ren Jie, and he'd never thought much of the title.

If anyone else knew about their reaction, they'd be hopping mad. Even the heads of the major families wouldn't dismiss someone breaking through to Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary at such a young age so casually.

"What's there to prepare? I've had it with that Fang Qi for a long time. Let's go now." The fatty jumped up at once, extremely eager, raring to go.

"Don't rush." Ren Jie looked outside. It had been dark when he came back three days ago, and now it was nearly dark again: "Haven't you heard of a Night of Murder in the Dark? Wait until it's dark."

No way. Gao Ren was increasingly finding that Ren Jie had changed since getting hit a few days ago. He seemed different from before.

Before, he was obsessed with Fang Qi—of course, the old Ren Jie was obsessed with any beautiful woman—and wouldn't even let Gao Ren say a bad word about her. Now he completely ignored her, as if he hated her even more than Gao Ren did.

And that medicine preparation still baffled Gao Ren. A potion that could help him break through to Top Tier Miraculous Apothecary was worth no less than an ordinary Middle Grade Spirit Pill.

And that line about a Night of Murder in the Dark left Gao Ren utterly astonished, as if Ren Jie was an expert at killing too. The sky had been on the verge of dark just now, caught between light and dark, so it wasn't long before, while the fatty Gao Ren was still stunned, the sky gradually darkened.

Without giving the fatty a chance to ask, Ren Jie called him and headed for Fang Qi's residence.

Although Jade Emperor Academy was a school for Hedonistic Young Masters, not everyone was as free and easy as Ren Jie and his crew. Passing some areas, you could still see people training hard, studying, or strolling around after dinner. Direct descendants of the Five Great Families like Ren Jie and Fang Qi had a high degree of freedom in the academy.

In others' eyes, Fang Qi and some other descendants of the Five Great Families were still normal—they attended regular academy courses, and most even had private family training plans. But Ren Jie was seen by everyone as a complete Hedonistic Young Master. If such a pure waste of a hedonist hadn't been incredibly lucky, even as a direct descendant of the Five Great Families, he'd have been in a bad spot. But he happened to be the Family Head of the Ren Family. Even if everyone saw him as a figurehead, there were still things they had to be wary of.

Among the students, it was manageable, but at the academy level, no one really wanted to provoke him. So Ren Jie became the freest person in the history of Jade Emperor Academy. In all his time there, he'd barely attended a few classes seriously.

Ren Jie realized he didn't even know much of the academy beyond the residences of some beauties. He figured he should check out the Jade Emperor Academy's library sometime. Fortunately, his original memories of Fang Qi's residence were still crystal clear.

Soon, the two arrived by the lakeside where Fang Qi lived. The night was dark, and they watched her residence from a distance.

"Food and drink are the most direct methods. Skin contact is much less effective, but we have to be sure. If it spreads to others, it'll be trouble. If there's no life-saving remedy on hand, it's enough to kill quickly. I've already made the antidote, but if that happens, we'll be exposed and all our work will be wasted. Too bad there wasn't enough time—if I could have made this Hundred Illusions Poison odorless and colorless, it would have been perfect."

"Why make it so complicated? Just smear the poison on a needle and get it into the bloodstream." Ren Jie was also looking at Fang Qi's residence. From a distance, to others, the trees looked ordinary, but Ren Jie had already spotted some issues.

Gao Ren shook his head vigorously: "Meal Ticket Boss, easier said than done. Forget the guards at her place—Fang Qi alone could easily take us both down. We'd be beaten into pulp before we even got close."

"Why get close to her? Here's the plan: you go over there and set her house on fire. Then I'll find a way to force her into the woods behind, and she'll come to us on her own." Ren Jie pointed at the building next to Fang Qi's residence and told the fatty to go start the fire.

Set a fire? Force her into the woods? What good would that do?

But before Gao Ren could ask, Ren Jie had already slipped into the woods behind Fang Qi's courtyard, using the cover of night.

This Meal Ticket Boss of mine is getting weirder and weirder, always doing things I don't understand. He said we were here to poison her, and now he wants to set a fire. Whatever, I'll play along for now and see what happens. If it doesn't work, I'll think of something else.

"Death, death, life..." By now, Ren Jie had entered the woods behind Fang Qi's place. From a distance earlier, he'd noticed something off about this forest—it was a formation that hadn't been activated. If something happened, a few points could be changed to trigger the formation.

This showed Fang Qi's personality: meticulous, cautious, even keeping a backup plan in the academy. It also meant she didn't trust anyone.

Just like when he'd looked at the medicines Gao Ren had prepared, Ren Jie saw through the formation's changes at a glance. It could at least trap anyone below the sixth layer of the True Qi Realm. Even against an eighth or ninth layer True Qi Realm cultivator, it could hold them off for a while. After circling around inside, Ren Jie spotted the only life gate. He then took out an ordinary steel needle, dipped it into the Hundred Illusions Poison Gao Ren had refined, and stuck it upside down in the ground.

This was a must-pass spot, and judging by the formation, she'd definitely step here to leave. But to be safe, Ren Jie placed another poison needle as well.

"Fire! Fire! Put it out!" Just then, Fang Qi's residence caught fire.

Seeing the flames, Ren Jie quickly left the woods and approached the main entrance of Fang Qi's place. With a flick of his divine sense, he saw Fang Qi coming out from inside.

"What's going on? How did a fire start?" Fang Qi frowned as she came out. The fire was too inexplicable.

"Heh heh... how did it start?" Just then, a cold snort echoed in Fang Qi's mind: "Haven't you heard of a Night of Murder in the Dark, with wind high for arson? Today, I'm here to kill you, Young Miss Fang—arson and murder. Prepare to die..."

"Buzz..." Fang Qi felt her mind buzz. Such strong divine sense—at least the eighth layer of the True Qi Realm. Someone had come to kill her.

And the fire was already set. This couldn't be a joke. Daring to burn down her residence said it all.

At this moment, Fang Qi had no time to think of anything else. In the academy, the guards by her side were only ordinary gatekeepers, and against a True Qi Realm cultivator, she had no power to fight back. In almost an instant, she leaped, vaulted over the wall, and charged into the woods behind her.

"Bam... bam..." The woods were right behind her; she didn't even need to look. As she entered the trees, she flung both arms out, sending two wooden stakes on either side flying away.

The moment Fang Qi sent those stakes flying, the forest, which had seemed ordinary, immediately shifted. The scenery within grew indistinct, blurring, as Fang Qi swiftly vanished into it.

"Trying to run? What's this, some kind of trick? You think this shoddy formation can stop me..." Watching Fang Qi flee in panic, and recalling how she had framed him in his memories, along with all the vicious, underhanded schemes she'd cooked up, Ren Jie could barely hold back a laugh.

But he had to play the part to the end. Though the formation had been activated, Ren Jie's cultivation level was what it was—he could easily see through a formation of this caliber. With his powerful spiritual sense, he still sent his voice into Fang Qi's mind.

Someone set a fire, a True Qi Realm cultivator at the eighth layer or above is chasing me, and they even know some formations—run, run fast...

That was the only thought in Fang Qi's mind at this moment. She used the formation to buy some time while pulling out the family contact token, summoning the clan's experts to rush over as quickly as possible...

"Ah!" Suddenly, as Fang Qi followed the formation's layout and hurried toward the life gate to escape, she felt a slight sting on her foot and jerked to a halt. Dizziness—how could this be? I've been set up, I've been tricked, I've actually been... poisoned... poison... what poison is this strong...

Fang Qi initially tried to circulate her inner energy to resist, but then she realized her consciousness was starting to blur. She immediately knew something was wrong. In that instant, she crushed the family's emergency contact jade, fumbled out a Life-Preserving Spirit Pill with trembling hands, and shoved it into her mouth.

"Thud!" Her body swayed back and forth a few times before finally giving out, and she collapsed.