After Zhong Shenxiu returned, he went straight to Wei Baizhu and spoke of Yan Wushuang’s visit.
"Imperial Divine Constable Yan Wushuang? Given the Jialan Fan Hand cultivation she practices, if she promises you something, you can trust her."
Wei Baizhu, the seasoned Jianghu figure, gave a firm response.
"Does this cultivation technique truly require abstinence from certain acts? How can there be such strange martial arts in the world?" Zhong Shenxiu was somewhat puzzled.
"This cultivation technique is said to have been created by the Grand Ancestor of the Wu Dynasty himself for the Divine Capture Sect to cultivate... The more rigorous the self-imposed disciplines, the more rapidly one advances in cultivation. Although it’s a bit inferior to those on the Exotic Arts list, there are no small number of grandmasters who have made achievements using it."
Wei Baizhu glanced at Zhong Shenxiu: "And if one breaks the disciplines, the end is extremely gruesome. Heh heh... the court likes such techniques. Those Divine Constables practicing the Jialan Fan Hand are bound by their first vow to die-hard loyalty to the court. Otherwise, how could the Great Wu Dynasty continue for a thousand years?"
Zhong Shenxiu realized.
"But you should be extremely careful when dealing with the Five Poison Sect Disciples. Although this sect is not within the territory of our Great Wu Dynasty, its strength is on par with those famous big sects... Even an ordinary disciple is pretty formidable."
Wei Baizhu glanced at Zhong Shenxiu nervously, leaving something unsaid.
That was that the common disciple of the Five Poison Sect might be equal to the elders, even the Gang Leader of the Shanyao Gang!
"Rest assured, this time the Imperial Divine Constable Sect is the main force; I’m just going to blend in to get the secret book, then I’ll come back."
Zhong Shenxiu laughed heartily.
"Once you’re involved in imperial affairs, it’s a massive hassle, impossible to shake off..." Wei Baizhu was not very optimistic about this: "Just remember, your life is your own."
After the pledge day had hurriedly passed, a few days went by.
Zhong Shenxiu didn’t know how the government had passed the messages secretly; in any case, everything seemed quite normal.
Even Yan Wushuang had less contact with him, stating that without such measures, the Five Poison Sect Members wouldn’t appear easily.
Other than going out of the city every day to ’fish,’ Zhong Shenxiu spent his time practicing martial arts in the Shanyao Hall.
Because he tried not to use the Heavenly Show Points and instead persevered in cultivation on his own, his progress in the Heart Fire section clearly slowed down quite a bit.
’This Five Elements Thief Palm is primarily about cultivating one’s own five viscera and qi. If it’s for martial comparison or injuring someone, picking any single technique is enough... Regarding the Heart Fire section, it should mainly focus on inner cultivation and explosive power.’
After a session of training, Zhong Shenxiu stood still with his palms retracted, muttering to himself.
He rested for a moment, preparing to return to his room.
That’s when a person came face to face with him and immediately hid on the side of the road.
Zhong Shenxiu looked at this San Shan Sect captive; after betraying the sect and joining the enemy, this man became the lowest tier in the Shanyao Hall’s hierarchy, being ordered around like a slave by even the youngest disciple, without daring to utter any complaints.
But now, looking at the man, he felt something was amiss, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.
"Mr. Xun, this one is here."
Wu Tieyi put on a smile, cautiously replying.
"Hmm, you’re not helping at the front, what are you doing in the backyard?"
Zhong Shenxiu casually inquired.
"The front desk ran out of Five Flavors Rehmannia Pills, Hong Yao lady ordered me to fetch some." Wu Tieyi hurriedly said.
Zhong Shenxiu waved his hand and brushed past Wu Tieyi.
He delivered a heavy slap to Wu Tieyi’s lower back with the back of his palm.
"Wu Tieyi" glided a step, leaping several yards away, his footsteps suddenly light and airy, and his voice had become unbearably piercing, "How did you figure it out?"
"Five Flavors Rehmannia Pill is a name I just blurted out—Hong Yao and the others don’t call it that..." Zhong Shenxiu turned around indifferently, "And how would Wu Tieyi dare to burst into my room?"
This Wu Tieyi was clearly a fake!
"Hehe... aren’t you afraid of making a mistake?"
The "Wu Tieyi," clutching at his lower back, had a ferocious expression, like a wounded beast.
"I’m not afraid of mistakes, after all, killing a captive is just that, a killing."
Zhong Shenxiu’s expression remained calm as his body seemed to shift and shadow-dance, arriving in front of the fake Wu Tieyi.
This "Wu Tieyi" assumed a strange posture, his arms bending and winding like boneless snakes, slipping past defenses, striking from inconceivable angles.
Zhong Shenxiu sidestepped, unable to help but laugh, "Indeed, it’s the Snake Manipulation Fist of the Five Poison Sect!"
This martial art could make the arms as soft as though they had no bones, allowing each strike to be unpredictable and catch the enemy off guard—it was well-known in the Jianghu.
Of course, compared to secret arts like the Thousand Spiders and Ten Thousand Puppet Hands, it was far inferior.
Although this disciple’s fist technique was sharp, his power was significantly reduced by fifty percent due to the kidney damage and dizziness caused by Zhong Shenxiu’s stealth attack earlier, and he was easily avoided.
At the same time, the "Wu Tieyi" revealed a hideous smile as several crescent-shaped blades suddenly sprang from his wrist, coiling and stabbing towards Zhong Shenxiu’s wrist like a venomous snake’s fangs.
Such trickery, if used in an honorable duel, would surely be despised by the upright fighters of the Jianghu.
Not only were underhanded tricks involved, but also the use of hidden weapons in a stealth attack!
But the Five Poison Sect Disciple seemed to take it for granted, even imaging in his eyes the scene where Zhong Shenxiu’s blood splattered on the spot.
Zhong Shenxiu’s fist moved with even greater speed, dodging the blades and with a heavy punch, struck the face of the Five Poison Sect Disciple.
"Heart like a blazing fire, palms like water, Yin and Yang in harmony stir specters and demons!"
"Wu Tieyi" was sent flying backward, while Zhong Shenxiu introspectively experienced the difference in operating with both the heart’s fire and kidneys’ water.
It had to be said, Shanyao Gang’s perfect theft of these fire and water arts let Zhong Shenxiu ponder a bit of the Five Elements manipulation, which was indeed fortunate.
At that moment, as he stepped forward, he saw the "Wu Tieyi" had already passed out.
Not only that, the opponent’s face was full of wrinkles, a patch of skin broken, revealing a scorched yellow complexion underneath.
At this time, no matter how you looked at it, he didn’t resemble Wu Tieyi, with the mask on his face still seeping fresh blood.
Zhong Shenxiu’s mind stirred, yet he did not approach but instead stepped back two paces.
Wei Hongyao, hearing the commotion here, hurried over to ask.
"Go to the official residence, call for help, contact Yan Wushuang... A Five Poison Sect Disciple has appeared."
Zhong Shenxiu pointed to the Five Poison Sect Disciple lying unconscious on the ground, "Don’t touch him, be wary of poison... and go check on Wu Tieyi, this guy has most likely met with misfortune."
Wei Hongyao ran off in a hurry, and before long, the anguished scream of a disciple resounded throughout the entire backyard.
Zhong Shenxiu’s mind stirred, he moved to where the scream had come from.
There, in Wu Tieyi’s bedroom, the door open, a Shanyao Hall Disciple was beside it, bent over vomiting.
Zhong Shenxiu entered and saw Wu Tieyi’s corpse.
His limbs were broken and twisted into a grotesque, contorted pose, kneeling and facing south as if in some sort of prayer.
Most crucially... his face was a blood-drenched mess, the entire skin of his face had been peeled off!