This guy... why does he look like a ghost?
This thought almost simultaneously arose in the minds of several teachers, and even in broad daylight, they all felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
"Why did Instructor Liu suddenly decide to call on us old men?" Master Yang chuckled as he ate his meat. "These days, we few can't possibly add to Instructor Liu's achievements."
"That's true," another teacher chimed in. "Besides, Instructor Liu has chosen the wrong person. We are all of limited talent and knowledge, far inferior to those renowned teachers on South Street. Even if Liuzhou Academy reopens, it won't be our turn."
Despite the mockery, Liu Yiqi remained unperturbed, smiling as he stepped forward and found a seat, "Gentlemen, you flatter me. After all, we once worked together, and now we've all come from Liuzhou in times of trouble. Why be so sharp? It's at least a kind of fate, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, everyone frowned. As the saying goes, one doesn't hit a smiling face. After all, the other party was once a regular official of the imperial court. Now that he had lowered himself so much, they naturally couldn't continue to make things difficult for him.
Upon seeing this, Liu Yiqi smiled even more gently, took out a wine pot, and poured a cup of tea for everyone.
The wine wasn't anything special; it was just the kind of glutinous rice wine that boatmen in Jiangnan usually drank. It was crudely brewed, but for these scholars who were now in dire straits, the aroma of the wine made them feel comfortable all over.
Master Yang looked at the other person, his brows furrowed.
Although Liu Yiqi appeared to be apologizing, and his attitude and words seemed sincere, the sinister look between his brows was undeniable.
Moreover, this person inexplicably carried an eerie aura, which always made him feel uneasy.
He took the glass from the other person with suspicion, and the aroma of the wine made his unease even more pronounced!
Liu Yiqi looked at everyone with a sinister smile. This Chen Qing really knew how to give opportunities, actually using that inexplicable insect meat as food. It was an opportunity. As long as a few teachers had problems eating it, once the news spread, Liuzhou would be in chaos. Then, he and his group could reveal their official status, question the officials, and under the pressure of public opinion, seize power in Liuzhou.
When the imperial court's support arrives, Chen Qing commits suicide in prison out of fear of punishment, wouldn't all their crimes be pinned on the other side?
"Why aren't the teachers drinking?" Liu Yiqi asked with a smile. "Is the wine too coarse and not to their liking?"
He then took a sip of his drink and said, "I don't have those formalities anymore, teachers, please make yourselves at home."
Seeing that the other person had taken a sip, everyone still felt uneasy, but managed to lower their guard somewhat.
Seeing that everyone had finally raised their glasses, Liu Yiqi's lips curled into a smile.
His Liu Clan was actually a family of sorcerers.
However, they were not famous. Their family were poison sorcerers, not the kind that were well-regarded in the sorcerer circle. Their grandfather also taught at the Yin-Yang Academy.
Of course, he was not born a sorcerer. He was an illegitimate son and had no talent. From a young age, he could only take the path of taking the imperial examination or managing household affairs. But even if he was not born a sorcerer, he had been trained before his talent was assessed. Every member of the Liu Clan had to master the thousands of poisonous herbs and hundreds of poison formulas in the world before the age of ten. Although he had not used them for many years, he had not forgotten them.
And so, just as everyone was about to bring their glasses to their lips, the two vengeful spirits behind Liu Yiqi smiled sinisterly, filled with intense resentment, as if they were about to suddenly attack and harm people at any moment.
Old Yang, you need to remember who you are!!
Just as Master Yang brought the wine to his lips, the memory of that night suddenly resurfaced, and he shuddered, knocking the wine glass to the ground!
All the teachers were startled by this sudden action, and they all put down their wine cups and looked at Master Yang in confusion. "What's wrong with you?"
Liu Yiqi was also taken aback, wondering what kind of trouble the other party was causing at this crucial moment.
"The wine... is poisoned!" Master Yang stared blankly at the spilled wine cup, his expression somewhat lost in thought.
Everyone's expression changed immediately, and they looked at Liu Yiqi and then at Master Yang with suspicion.
" Master Yang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want!" Liu Yiqi glared at the other man with a sinister look. "I've drunk the most wine, so what? Do you really have such a deep grudge against all of you that you'd risk your life to make us all drink poison?"
Hearing this, everyone hesitated. What they said did make sense. Although they all looked down on Liu Yiqi, they had no grudge against him. Even if they had humiliated him that day, it didn't warrant risking their lives, did it?
"White skin, ginseng, five-step evil, dead infant cart, cinnabar, cassia seed"
Instead of answering Liu Yiqi's question, Master Yang suddenly started uttering some incomprehensible words. These words left Master Yang completely bewildered, and he could barely understand anything except for the words related to cassia seeds.
But Liu Yiqi looked at Master Yang as if he had seen a ghost!
This is the family recipe for the Liu Clan's Ten Yin Powder, an essential ingredient for all family members. It is a highly poisonous formula; ingestion will cause intestinal rupture within half an hour, and even a god could not save the patient. However, because the Liu Clan have been drinking the blood of the five-step snake since childhood, they are immune to this formula, making it most suitable for use against the enemy.
Moreover, this formula produces a product that is colorless and odorless, making it difficult for even top poison masters to detect, let alone when mixed with strong yellow wine.
That old man.
"I see." Master Yang looked up at Liu Yiqi: "You are from the Liu Clan by the Blackwater River in the capital!"
Liu Yiqi suddenly stood up and stared intently at the other person!
Even in the capital, very few people could recognize him!
Who exactly are you?
This guy is definitely not an ordinary private tutor!
"Who am I, really?" Master Yang was once again lost in confusion. Yes, who was he? How did he know all this?
He was also puzzled, feeling that what he had just done was as simple as eating and drinking, and he recognized it very instinctively.
" Liu Yiqi!!" Seeing Liu Yiqi's appearance, the teachers immediately realized that what Master Yang had said was true. They stood up in fear and pointed at him with dark faces. "You villain, what grudge do we have against you? Why are you so vicious?"
With a bang, Liu Yiqi crushed the wine pot in his hand. The shards cut his hands, drawing blood, but Liu Yiqi still stared intently at Master Yang, his face first showing surprise and doubt, then a terrifying, bitter smile.
"Why is there always someone getting in my way? Chen Qing is like this, and you old codger are the same way. Why do you always have to oppose me?"
At this moment, no one could see that two terrifying vengeful spirits were whispering in Liu Yiqi's ear. The more they spoke, the more terrifying and ferocious Liu Yiqi's expression became. His evil nature was revealed in broad daylight, making him even more horrifying than some butchers. The teachers could not withstand this onslaught and staggered backward!
The next instant, Liu Yiqi lunged at Master Yang, his movements resembling those of a living corpse outside the city!
"Hey, you evil spirits, stop now!!"
A thunderous sound suddenly rang out. Everyone only saw a flash of light, and the next second, a burly man in white robes and silver armor, imposing and radiating a dazzling light, suddenly appeared. He grabbed Liu Yiqi by the neck with one hand, Liu Yiqi immediately let out a chilling scream. The sound was clearly a woman's scream, which immediately frightened the crowd of people who had rushed over to see what was going on and made them retreat.
In broad daylight, how could that scholar be so wicked?
The next instant, two women, their flesh mangled and their appearance horribly gruesome, covered in black cracks, appeared. They lay on the ground like spiders, howling like wild beasts, a truly chilling sight that caused the onlookers to retreat in fear.
"You all died unjustly, and the City God of City God Underworld will judge your case. How dare you commit murder on your own? Why don't you come with me to the Underworld immediately to be punished?"
The two women were clearly blinded by resentment. After roaring like wild beasts, they turned and ran, crawling on the ground in the same manner as wild animals. However, under the bright sun, they were as if they were on a hot iron plate, screaming in agony as black smoke continuously poured out from the cracks in their skin.
"Where do you think you're going!" Chen Ye, the Day Wandering God, roared angrily. He had heard the City God say that capturing one of these evil spirits was equivalent to imprisoning thirty Yin spirits—a huge deal indeed. How could he let the other party escape?
After the vengeful spirit left, Liu Yiqi, who had just committed the heinous act, collapsed to the ground like someone who had collapsed from exhaustion. His whole body was trembling, saliva and snot were mixed together, and even urine was leaking out. He looked extremely disheveled, and there was no trace of his previous ferocity.
What's going on?
As everyone was speculating, they saw Gu Bei and his men approach and help Liu Yiqi up.
"My lord, what is this?" one of the bolder students asked.
"I don't know either." Gu Bei immediately shook his head. "The Prefect sent us here to arrest Liu Yiqi. It is said that the former magistrate of Spirit Deer County, Gu Beiquan, pointed it out. If you and the others have any doubts, you can come with us to the courtroom and see how the Prefect judges the case."
Oh? It's time for a trial?
The crowd immediately became excited. The sudden appearance of the flying deity, the two fleeing evil spirits, and Liu Yiqi's crime were all rare juicy stories, and everyone naturally wanted to find out the truth. Now that the prefect was personally interrogating them, they were sure to hear a lot of what they wanted to hear.
Immediately, a group of people noisily followed Gu Bei and the others who were escorting Liu Yiqi to the government office.
In the midst of the excitement, everyone temporarily forgot that Master Yang, who had initially exposed Liu Yiqi, had somehow disappeared.
--
At this moment, on the North Street, Master Yang was walking hurriedly, his face full of confusion, muttering to himself, seemingly completely uninterested in Liu Yiqi, who had just tried to poison him.
It was fortunate that everyone's attention was diverted; otherwise, a teacher behaving so strangely would surely have attracted attention.
But it still caught the attention of someone.
As Master Yang was hurrying along, he was suddenly stopped by a figure.
Master Yang looked up, his expression momentarily stunned. It was an absolutely beautiful woman, whose every move exuded charm, making even this old man, who was past fifty, unable to resist swallowing.
"Who do we have here?" the woman's languid voice murmured, sending shivers down one's spine, but the words inside sent a jolt through Master Yang's heart!
"It's been a long time, Mr. Five Poisons!!"